The contemporary era of international relations is characterised by increased political and economic interconnectedness and interdependence between states and non-state actors. Globalising and managing trade and commerce processes through institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank promoted global industry, big businesses, and multinational corporations that depend heavily and more than ever before on the exploitation of natural resources such as oil, gas, and minerals and compete over securing their fair share of power-generating resources whether they are hydel, thermal, or nuclear.
In the developed world, overuse of natural resources coupled with the disposal of massive amounts of industrial wastes in dump sites can have long-lasting detrimental repercussions on human health as well as the natural environment. Whereas the industrialised countries of the Global North are attempting to find new ways of recycling industrial wastes and developing alternative sources of energy through the use of advanced technology, developing and underdeveloped countries in Africa such as Somalia, Mali, and Ethiopia struggle to maintain the few and scarce natural resource available to them for current as well as for the future generations.
Inter or intra-state conflicts in such countries worsen the severity of environmental issues, chiefly droughts. Often, the scarcity of natural resources in these countries becomes an environmental issue with social, economic, and political dimensions, hence, threatening the stability of the state and acting as “Pandora’s Box” by causing crises of different kinds to emerge and impact populations locally and regionally.
Somalia as an underdeveloped African country represents a quintessential example of how a correlative relationship between political instability and environmental issues can cause the entanglement of a state into a vortex of interrelated crises leading to more instability, both political and environmental.
Table of Contents
Part One:
A Cause for War: The Environment in 21st Century
Somalia’s Environmental Issues and Policies: General Overview
From Extreme Weather to Civil War: The Case of Somalia
An Uncertain Future for Somalia
Part Two:
Somalia’s Environmental Issues: From Civil War to Extreme Weather
From Civil War to Extreme Weather: Moving Forward
An Environmental Strategy for Political Stability: Cloud Seeding
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the complex, correlative relationship between political instability and environmental degradation in Somalia, analyzing how resource scarcity and extreme weather events exacerbate civil conflicts and hinder national development. The research investigates how these interconnected crises impact governance and explores potential technological interventions to restore stability.
- The impact of natural resource scarcity on political stability.
- The link between extreme weather events, such as drought, and the fuel of civil war.
- The detrimental consequences of industrial waste dumping on Somalia's ecosystem and public health.
- The role of governance and socio-political factors in navigating environmental crises.
- The potential for innovative technological strategies, specifically cloud seeding, to support environmental and political restoration.
Excerpt from the Book
From Extreme Weather to Civil War: The Case of Somalia
In The Coming Anarchy: Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War, Robert D. Kaplan discusses how the end of the Cold War has brought an environmental carnage into the world characterised by an increase in the global population and the ongoing over exploitation of natural resources which will both lead to a significant imbalance in the global ecosystems with repercussions as severe as the global warming. For Kaplan, lack of vital resources will be the main national security issues for competing states, and a large scale influx of environmental refugees will be displaced from their resource depleted countries to seek food and water security for survival elsewhere. This can eventually cause the eruption of civil wars and armed conflicts and may even aggravate confrontations among ethnic and religious groups. Based on the data provided by the 2015 review report by Country Watch, it would be valid to say that Somalia, among many African countries with similar environmental and political insecurities, represents a microcosmic sample of the scenarios Kaplan describes and envisions in the future. In their article “Extreme Weather and Civil War: Does Drought Fuel Conflict in Somalia through Livestock Price Shocks?”, authors Jean-François Maystadt and Olivier Ecker suggest that a growing body of literature on conflict and the environment shows through empirical data and surveys a “causal relationship” between extreme weather conditions due to climate change and armed conflicts in the world. Results of studies show that a drought in a geographical area can increase chances of the emergence of armed conflicts by 62%. More specifically, the authors focus on the role of droughts in fuelling conflict in the country of Somalia and how the changing prices in livestock markets channel these issues. Since the outbreak of the civil war in 1991, Somalia has been maintaining its economy with livestock rearing and exports which help
Summary of Chapters
Part One: Provides an overview of the global and local drivers of conflict, emphasizing how environmental scarcity and resource mismanagement contribute to instability in African nations like Somalia.
A Cause for War: The Environment in 21st Century: Analyzes the theoretical links between natural resource management, globalization, and the outbreak of armed conflicts in the post-Cold War era.
Somalia’s Environmental Issues and Policies: General Overview: Details the specific environmental challenges Somalia faces, including deforestation, desertification, and water scarcity, and how these weaken the state.
From Extreme Weather to Civil War: The Case of Somalia: Discusses empirical evidence regarding how droughts and climate-induced stressors trigger violence and conflict within Somali pastoralist communities.
An Uncertain Future for Somalia: Evaluates the prospects for Somali stability, stressing the need for better governance, population control, and international aid to overcome environmental and security hurdles.
Part Two: Shifts focus to the cyclical relationship between warfare and environmental degradation, specifically examining the exploitation of resources during periods of political collapse.
Somalia’s Environmental Issues: From Civil War to Extreme Weather: Investigates the devastating impact of unregulated resource exploitation and the dumping of toxic waste on the Somali landscape and population.
From Civil War to Extreme Weather: Moving Forward: Proposes strategies for recovery, including the importance of education and the removal of warlords from political processes to foster a stable democratic environment.
An Environmental Strategy for Political Stability: Cloud Seeding: Explores the scientific viability of cloud seeding as a technological tool to increase water availability and alleviate the pressures of drought on the Somali economy.
Keywords
Somalia, Environmental degradation, Political instability, Civil war, Drought, Natural resources, Resource scarcity, Climate change, Livestock, Governance, Cloud seeding, Sustainable development, Humanitarian crisis, Terrorism, Biodiversity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on the nexus between political instability and environmental crisis in Somalia, arguing that environmental degradation significantly fuels civil war and socioeconomic collapse.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The core themes include the management of natural resources, the influence of extreme weather on conflict, the impact of civil war on the ecosystem, and the potential for technological solutions to address environmental instability.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate that addressing environmental issues is a prerequisite for achieving long-term political stability and national development in Somalia.
Which scientific methodology does the author employ?
The work employs a review of existing academic literature, case study analyses (such as comparisons with Syria and Burkina Faso), and empirical reports from organizations like the UN and IMF to establish causal links.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The body covers the history of conflicts in Africa, the specific environmental hurdles in Somalia, the role of livestock markets in conflict escalation, and an evaluation of cloud seeding as a potential solution.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Key terms include Somalia, environmental degradation, political instability, climate change, resource scarcity, and governance.
How does the author characterize the impact of toxic waste in Somalia?
The author identifies the dumping of hazardous and radioactive wastes in Somalia as a major humanitarian and environmental disaster that has exacerbated health crises and hindered local development.
What is the significance of the cloud seeding proposal mentioned in the text?
Cloud seeding is presented as a post-modern security strategy that uses technology to manage environmental stress, thereby reducing the competition over water and grazing land that often leads to armed conflict.
Does the author suggest that military intervention alone can solve Somalia's problems?
No, the author argues that while military pressure on insurgents may be necessary, it must be combined with environmental and humanitarian strategies to achieve lasting political and economic stability.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Somaya Bahji (Autor:in), 2016, Conflict and Environmental Security in Somalia, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/343656
