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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:State collapse and prospects for political reconstruction and democratic governance in Somalia
Author:Yannis, Alexandros
Year:1997
Periodical:African Yearbook of International Law
Volume:5
Pages:23-47
Language:English
Geographic term:Somalia
Subjects:political stability
State collapse
self-determination
Abstract:This article examines the phenomenon of State collapse in the light of the disintegration of State authority in Somalia and explores the potential for alternative normative principles which could provide guidance for international responses to the Somali crisis. The first part analyses the implications of the phenomenon of State collapse for the international system and observes that, because international responses to the Somali crisis appear to be based on the legal continuity, sovereignty and continued territorial integrity of the Somali State, the resuscitation of a central government in Somalia seems to be considered the panacea for political reconstruction in the country and for international stability. The second part of the article examines the evolution of the principle of self-determination of peoples and argues that, while in the past the international community has not considered popular sovereignty as an element validating the legitimacy of a government, recent State practice and theory underline the tendency to consider the democratic entitlement as a value that deserves incorporation in the normative structure of the international system. The article concludes by analysing the root causes of the Somali crisis and the political dynamics inside the country. The elaboration of decentralized political structures and institutionalized powersharing constitute the most reliable pattern for democratic reconstruction, and the establishment of democratic constitutional arrangements must form a precondition for international recognition of any central government. Notes, ref.
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