Background of Al-Shabaab

The Council on Foreign Relations posted on 16 January 2019 a background piece on al-Shabaab by Claire Felter, Jonathan Masters, and Mohammed Aly Sergie.

Can Somalia Ever Win against Al-Shabaab?

Foreign Policy published on 19 October 2017 a commentary titled "Can Somalia Ever Win against Al-Shabaab?" by Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Institute.

The author concludes that the Somali government must cultivate a credible Islamist constituency of its own, winning over most of the political and financial backers of the Islamic Courts Union, the Islamist movement that briefly took control of much of the country in 2006 and from which al-Shabaab emerged.

Violence Begets Violence in Somalia

The Atlantic published on 16 October 2017 a commentary titled "Violence Begets Violence in Somalia" by Helen C. Epstein, visiting professor at Bard College.

The account is highly critical of US policy in Somalia, concluding that "Washington has to realize that there is no military solution to this conflict." She adds that diplomacy is called for. While that may be true, al-Shabaab has never demonstrated any willingness to compromise or even engage in meaningful talks.

Al-Shabaab's Media Insurgency, 2006-2016

Hate Speech International, a three year old, Norwegian-based independent network of journalists and researchers has just published a study titled "Continuity and Change: The Evolution and Resilience of Al-Shabab's Media Insurgency, 2006-2016" by Christopher Anzalone, research fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

This excellent report examines the history and evolution of al-Shabaab's media operations capabilities and narrative messaging with particular attention to its strategic use and position within the insurgents' broader strategy of territorial control, survival, and rule in light of shifts on the ground inside Somalia. Since 2012, the report increasingly focuses on neighboring countries such as Kenya. The continuing evolution of al-Shabaab's media operations capabilities has proven to be a valuable tool in the insurgent group's overall strategy of territorial expansion and implementation of a form of rebel governance over certain areas of Somalia.

Defeating Al-Shabaab and Dismembering Somalia

Aljazeera published on 1 July 2014 commentary titled "Defeating Al-Shabaab and Dismembering Somalia" by Abdi Ismail Samatar, University of Minnesota.  Highly critical of current policy by the Somali government and the international community, Samatar concludes that "al-Shabaab might no longer have the capacity to control large areas, but its defeat will likely produce a failed country with a failed state vulnerable to foreign domination."