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Volume 1 issue 1 April 2013

The Failed State and Failed State-Building: How Can a Move Away From the Failed State Discourse Inform Development in Somalia?

Max Byrne
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Somalia has entered the world’s imagination as the archetypal failed state; when thinking of states that have ‘failed’, it is most likely that Somalia will be first to spring into the mind. This is not for no good reason – the situation in Somalia is dire. However, the classification of Somalia as a failed state is harmful, resulting in misguided approaches to state-building which primarily focus on institutional development. Using the ontological project of Mogobe Ramose and consequently considering Somalia from a perspective other than that of a failed state, one is able to see that in many areas Somalia should not be classified as having failed as such and that there exists a society which has thus far been ignored.

Taking Somalia out of the failed state discourse has the result of opening up new avenues for possible development, which eschew the external imposition of central institutions in favour of a development which builds on the society which already exists. Habermasian discourse ethics provide support here, orienting development around discussion and consensus. By following the lead of Somaliland and basing state-building on discourse among Somalis, the likelihood of projects succeeding is greatly increased due to their greater legitimacy through consensus.

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