HOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND REGIONAL POWER-PLAYS?

You hear these days that Egypt is seeking military and security cooperation or pact with Kenya, South Sudan, and even as far as Congo? Guess against whom? You know Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea had entered into similar accord or understanding, and you wonder against whom? You know big powers are in the game of seeking hegemony and spheres of influence in any corner of the globe. That may be understandable as USA, China, among others, are engaged in stiff rivalry and competition for resources and alliances. What isn’t clear is a small nation with limited economic and military resources trying swallow more than she can chew like Eritrea and Kenya. One possible explanation is that these ambitious small nations feel insecure and vulnerable to external security threats beyond their borders. They want to project an image of readiness to counter perceived security threats. In other words, they want to be seen as power-players in geopolitical terms. They are also sending signals to big powers that they should be counted for in the rivalry equation as far as their respective sub-region is concerned. To put it in a different form, small nations are trying to attract the attention of big powers for financial aid, resources and favors.

Put all these together, it is called regional or global power-plays.

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POSITIVE MEDIA ITEM FROM UNEXPECTED SOURCE

PICTURE OF THE DAY

This boy of eight years old had moved with his mother from Mogadishu to Garowe just before Ramadan, seeking better life in Puntland. I asked him one question: “Does your mother work in Garowe?” “Not yet”, he responded. “But, I work for her”.

1P1V IN PUNTLAND

They say wherever the USA state of Iowa goes in an election, so goes the rest of the country. Is it equally true that wherever the State of Puntland goes, so goes Somalia?

Puntland State of Somalia was created in 1998 as the first pillar for the foundation of the 2nd Somali Republic. The establishment of other Federal Member States followed suit. Puntland sponsored the federal system of governance in Somalia, and rest of the country, region by region, followed suit. Other member states had adopted Puntland Constitution, replacing only the name of Puntland with their respective names of the state like Galmudugh State of Somalia, Southwest State of Somalia, Hirshabelle State of Somalia and Jubaland State of Somalia. There is nothing wrong in modeling after successful enterprise. Human progress and experiences indicate similar copycat modeling. People follow the leader.

We have been saying all along that One Person One Vote (1P1V) wouldn’t happen in Somalia until Puntland showed the way. It is happening now with pilot vote registrations in Puntland towns of Eyl (Nugaal Region), Qardho (Karkaar Region) and Uffayn (Bari or Bareeda Region). If successful, all the rest of Puntland towns will follow this vote registration lead. This vote registration would be the first critical phase for general elections for state presidency and House of people’s Representatives. By experience, the rest of Somalia will follow Puntland experiment in democracy post-Civil War.
Stay tuned.
Have your say.

In the meantime, don’t forget to get your copies of the best selling books at https://amazon.com/author/ismailwarsame