Mid-term, Corruption and International Engagement – xaa iigu jira? (what’s in it for me?)

Authors: Nisar Majid and Khalif Abdirahman

This policy brief provides reflections on the current moment in Somalia’s political and political economy trajectory, half-way through the current presidential term. It also offers an opportunity to reflect on some of the underlying trends in Somalia’s approximately ten-year period as an internationally recognised state. The policy brief draws upon work undertaken under the LSE Conflict Research Programme (CRP) and its successor, PeaceRep.

As well as providing analysis on the political dynamics taking place in Somalia, the brief draws attention to the utility of the political marketplace as a framework for understanding these dynamics, including through its link with corruption and contracting issues, which have gained considerable attention in the country over the last 12 months, and which capture the interplay of the national with the international.