Dangerous ’Ethiopia’, not Anodyne Somalia, is Africa’s Most Failed State

Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

There are several lobbyists in Washington D.C. who repetitively and erroneously try to portray Somalia as a Failed State; as a matter of fact, their analysis is deeply partial and can only lead to disastrous policy decision making.

Certainly, according to research carried out by the Crisis States Research Center and standards set by the Fund for Peace, Somalia belongs to the top 20 Failed States. The London based Center is part of the reputable Development Studies Institute (DESTIN) that belongs to the venerated London School of Economics; however, the seminars and research are conducted ?as one could expect - on the basis of strict economic ?political ?military consideration, leaving critical parameters out.

The same concerns the independent, Washington D.C.-based Fund for Peace, athough it is also an educational organization; its Failed States Index does not take into account key parameters that, if taken into consideration, would help reach different results. In fact, the concept is relatively new, and one should anticipate many reconsiderations, modifications, and adjustments in the approach to the subject.

The Crisis States Research Centre

According to the definition provided in their website’s home page (http://www.crisisstates.com/index.htm) "the Crisis States Research Centre (CSRC) is a leading centre of interdisciplinary research into processes of war, state collapse and reconstruction in fragile states. By identifying the ways in which war and conflict affect the future possibilities for state building, by distilling the lessons learnt from past experiences of state reconstruction and by analysing the impact of key international interventions, Centre research seeks to build academic knowledge, contribute to the development of theory, and inform current and future policy making".

The Fund for Peace

The Fund for Peace is an independent Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research and educational organization. Since its founding in 1957 by investment banker Randolph Compton, The Fund for Peace has been dedicated to preventing war and alleviating the conditions that cause war. Recently, research at The Fund for Peace has focused predominantly on identifying and reducing conflict stemming from weak or failed states.