The Power of Persuasion
The Al-Shabaab, in Somalia is frequently referred to as a terrorist group in the media, and the U.S. State Department designated it a terrorist group in March, 2008. However, it also may be understood as a political party, a militia, and a movement.
Article written by: Harbi Kullane
Somalia has been in civil war much of the last two decades. The clashes and the conflicts that have claimed thousands of lives over this period have centred on clan disputes - the struggle of one clan to dominate another, and so on. The result has been havoc, and apathy with regard to authority as there has been no actual winner. Numerous attempts have been made on occasion to bring an end to this unproductive violence. No such effort has resulting in anything more than a short period of reprieve.
Commanding the conflicts have been warlords, to whom tribal elders have been loyal in order to achieve the goal they have in common - the dominance over other clans. The tribal elders were the mechanism responsible for recruiting the youth of the clan to fight for what became the cause of the clan. These youth did not require much convincing, apart from reminding them of the need to protect the honour and integrity of the clan. However, the other inducement to fight was material reward. The end promise was not riches, however, but a share in the loot. Thus any conquered clan suffered not only deaths and injuries, but a loss of personal possessions, including those that are vital to survival. Also, the young warriors developed the habit of theft with violence.
These targeted youth had no other skills in life. They have no hope of escaping the misery that has captivated much of the country, except as clan militia. However, as these conflicts have inflamed the country and continued, they have evolved from being faction vs. faction, based on tribal differences, to fighting that has put strict religious doctrine on each side. While young men remain the driving force of the violence, now it is the power of persuasion that is their main motivation for fighting, the objective of which is now seen to be on a higher level.
