
On Saturday, Somalia's parliament endorsed the appointment of Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as prime minister of a new unity government. I spoke to Reuters about this new development. Here's an excerpt from the
article that includes my analysis:
"I am more optimistic about the future of Somalia than I have been in a number of years," Professor David Shinn, an Africa expert at George Washington University, told Reuters.
"The selection of a PM from the large Darod clan is a wise choice to balance President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's Hawiye clan connection," he said, adding that Sharmarke's distinguished family and diaspora connections would also be advantages.
UPDATE: Al Jazeera English also ran
a story based on the the Reuters piece.