To start with a cliche; tell a life often, and soon the people will begin to believe it. So seems to be the case with al-Shabaab and the long-fabled rift that’s been playing out since…
Posts By Dissident Nation
What is Somalia’s Role in the Sunni-Shia Global Schism?
For Arab Iraqis, Syrians, Bahrainis, and Lebanese, religious sects have become the only form of local identity in the absence of authentic ethnic identities a la Kurdish or Turkomen. These religious groups; Sunni, Shia, and…
Oil is Bringing Surprising Unity Back to Somalia
In Somaliland you will find Genel and Jacka, in Galmudug you will find Liberty Petroleum, and in Puntland you will find Range, Red Emperor, and Horn Petroleum. Off the shores of the recently-formed Jubbaland federal…
Al-Shabaab Drawing Strategies From Iraq and Afghanistan
A few weeks ago, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) released the fourth installment of Salil al-Sawarim, a series of ultra-violent militant documentaries that have garnered millions of downloads on the web. The ISI was…
The New Liberal Face of Colonialism
If you were expecting the next round of imperialism to kick off with just drones, tanks, and aircraft carriers, think again. It is so subtle that it has already reached you and even colonized you,…
Somalia Returning to Warlordism Despite International Efforts
Since Al-Shabaab’s surprise August 2011 withdrawal from the Somali capital Mogadishu, Somalia has been showered with wildly ecstatic praise and media coverage. The positive press campaign was a local and global phenomenon that even involved…
Gas-Rich Qatar and Shell Aggressively Pursue Somalia’s Oil
Since the start of the Arab Spring, the gas-rich Persian Gulf state of Qatar has been extending its reach across the Greater Middle East. The tiny state, whose citizenry only numbers around 250,000 individuals, began…
China’s Ambitious Plan to Move 500 Million Settlers to Africa
Can you imagine it? 500 million more people moving to Africa within the next two or three generations, mostly without the knowledge or consent of the African people. Instead of the Chinatowns we see today…
What the Media Is Hiding About Somalia’s Shocking Rape Trial
The recent sentencing in Mogadishu of an alleged rape victim and the journalist who interviewed her has sent shock-waves throughout the globe. It has left many people, especially those unaware of the political realities in…
How Saudi Arabia Is [Accidentally] Harming Islam
A note on the title; I placed brackets around the term Accidentally because it otherwise presumes the innocence or complete naivety of the unofficial-but-official Saudi clergy. The rest of my title statement covers a subjective…
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