Humanitarianism Under Fire

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“Summer Book Reviews”

The US and UN Intervention in Somalia” by Kenneth R. Rutherford – Summary: Praised by Peace Laureates, professors, United States Senators, and more, Kenneth R. Rutherford's historical look at humanitarianism in Somalia is a profound and heart-wrenching book. Rutherford is a Ph.D. and MALS holder from Georgetown University. He is the current director of the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery and teaches at James Madison University in Virginia.

Rutherford's book looks at the humanitarian intervention in Somalia and focuses on the United Nation's ability to complete a peace mission during wartime. The book offers a detailed and thought-provoking look at this time in Somalia's history. He provides new interviews with people involved and offers his own research, gleaned from five separate countries. In the end, he explains how policy decisions made today can actually be traced back to the U.N. intervention in Somalia and the consequences from it.

“Understanding the Somalia Conflagration: Identity, Islam, and Peace Building” by Afyare Abdi Elmi – Summary: Afyare Abdi Elmi is a Somali/Canadian Professor currently working at the University of Alberta, Canada. She offers insight into Somalia's colonial period and moves us forward in time to the 1991 civil war that enveloped the country. From reviews, the book offers a well-structured, yet easy-to-read piece of literature that is engaging and informative at the same time. Basically, the assertion from Elmi involves retracing the roots of a country in order to figure out a way to begin the healing process and the peace process. To do this, the author delves into clan identities, Islam, and how other countries in the area can assist the peace-building process within Somalia. If you're a reader who's interested in both Somalia and history, be sure to take a look at the resources section at online history degrees.

“Somalia: The New Barbary? Piracy and Islam in the Horn of Africa” by Martin N. Murphy – Summary: The reviews for Murphy's work rate it as masterful, well-organized, objective, authoritative, and invaluable, among many other glowing remarks. He examines terrorism and piracy in Somalia, through looking at the history, organization, motivation, methods, and tactics of Somali pirates. With a link towards Somali political groups, Murphy explains, in great detail, the threat of piracy and what's being done to end these issues. He concludes there is a link between the growth of Somali pirates and the political groups in power in the country. In the end, he looks at what possible political and military solutions can be enacted in order to end the scourge of piracy in Somalia.

 “Milk and Peace, Drought and War: Somali Culture, Society and Politics” by Markus Hoehne and Virginia Luling – Summary: Editors Markus Hoehne and Virginal Luling take on work done by I.M. Lewis, who is widely thought of as the preeminent researcher of Somalia history and origins in the world. In this book, the best available scholars break down Lewis' work, and in doing so, help to advance new theories and thoughts on Somalia, its history, and where it's going as a country. Issues tackled include Britain and Italy as colonial powers, Somali politics, its political future, the role of the Somali diaspora, along with much more.

Sources

Columbia University Press (2012)


Books for Understanding (2011)