Between drones and al-Shabaab: United States extra-judicial killings in Somalia, sovereignty and the future of liberal intervention

Koloko, Mojalefa

Home
Show All
Show Quick Collection
Highlights +
Most Accessed Papers Most Accessed Items Most Accessed Authors Recent Additions
Search History
Clear Session
Help

Change Site View +
Nelson Mandela University Rhodes University Rhodes University Cory Rhodes University ILAM Rhodes University SAIAB University of Fort Hare Walter Sisulu University

Home

RU Theses and Dissertations

RU Department of Political and International Studies

Add to Quick Collection

Koloko, Mojalefa. Rhodes University; 2019. Between drones and al-Shabaab: United States extra-judicial killings in Somalia, sovereignty and the future of liberal intervention.

File	Description	Size	Format
MODS	MODS Descriptive Metadata	4 KB	XML Document	View Details	Download
SOURCE1	Adobe Acrobat PDF	957 KB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View Details	Download

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67657

Title: Between drones and al-Shabaab: United States extra-judicial killings in Somalia, sovereignty and the future of liberal intervention
Creator: Koloko, Mojalefa
Date: 2019
Publisher: Rhodes University
Publisher: Faculty of Humanities, Political and International Studies
Description: This study examines the nature of the United States intervention in Somalia, specifically the use of drone strikes that first targeted the militant Sunni Islamist transnational group, al-Qaeda, which claimed responsibility for the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, and now target the Somali organisation, Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahidin, commonly known as al-Shabaab. The use of drone strikes in the US led war on terror has raised concerns about sovereignty as the extra-judicial killings are conducted without the consent of the concerned states. Furthermore, drone strikes also raise questions about the processes of liberal intervention as the US conducts them without the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It is argued in this study that what is understood to be the “golden era” of liberal interventionism is a legacy of the post-Cold War unipolar dominance of the United States in global governance and security. It is argued that US unipolarity was accompanied by a shifting perception regarding the security position of weak states, whose weakness becomes understood as a source of global insecurity. This perception that so called “weak” and “fragile” states are sources of threats is a departure in International Relations theory, because the discipline is historically preoccupied with studying the actions of powerful states and their consequence for the global order. It is argued that the discourse on the war on terror, and its focus on “failed states” as breeding grounds for alleged terrorists, represents the height of the repositioning of less powerful states from a peripheral status in IR analysis and practice, to their current position that are now being represented as core sources of threat to international peace and security. Through life history interviews with Somali nationals in Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, South Africa, the study examines the consequences of US actions from the eyes of Somali people. The findings of this study show that despite all the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the war on terror, the manner in which it is conducted, as well as the tactics that it employs, the majority of Somali participants showed an overwhelming support for the US intervention. Participants expressed support for the US extra-judicial killings because they are understood to undermine al-Shabaab strength which is a major source of insecurity. The study also shows that the lack of necessary collaboration between the US intelligence and the Somali ground forces has resulted in high numbers of civilian deaths, which participants fear can be used by al-Shabaab to recruit and radicalise more Somalis. The study also shows that most Somalis resent the presence of the African Union Mission in Somalia because Kenya and Ethiopia are seen as 10 pursuing national interests that are not invested in Somali peace and stability. The study concludes that US extra-judicial killings have failed to constrain the actions of al-Shabaab. Somalis expressed that the leadership of current president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo, holds the unique possibilities of creating national unity that rises above clan divisions and the radical Jihadist ideology of al-Shabaab.

Relationships: Show Relationship Browser for this Object
collection(s): RU Department of Political and International Studies
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67657
Identifier: vital:29125
Format: 116 leaves
Format: pdf
Language: English
Rights: Koloko, Mojalefa
Type: text
Type: Thesis
Type: Masters
Type: MA
Full Text

315 Visitors

314 Hits

5 Downloads

RU Department of Political and International Studies Between drones and al-Shabaab: United States extra-judicial killings in Somalia, sovereignty and the future of liberal intervention

Vital Repository 7.0