Building states while fighting terror: contradictions in United States Strategy in Somalia from 2001 to 2007

This report analyzes the contradictions in United States strategy in Somalia between 2001 and 2007, specifically the attempt to combine counter-terrorism efforts with state building in a 'failed state'.

• The report concludes that attempting to combine counter-terrorism and state building without long-term planning and local knowledge is likely to trigger a violent backlash.
• The United States government has securitized 'failed states', viewing them as sources of terrorism and utilizing state building as a primary counter-terrorism tactic.
• Between 2001 and 2007, US actions in Somalia included paying warlords in Mogadishu to track suspected al-Qa’eda operators and providing tacit support for the Ethiopian invasion following the Union of Islamic Courts' takeover of Mogadishu in mid-2006.
• The author argues that the only viable way to restrain current violence in Somalia is through a significant shift toward civilian peacebuilding and increased regional diplomacy.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Building states while fighting terror: contradictions in United States Strategy in Somalia from 2001 to 2007. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/building-states-while-fighting-terror-contradictions-in-united-states-strategy-in-somalia-from-2001-to-2007

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Building states while fighting terror: contradictions in United States Strategy in Somalia from 2001 to 2007. n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/building-states-while-fighting-terror-contradictions-in-united-states-strategy-in-somalia-from-2001-to-2007.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Building states while fighting terror: contradictions in United States Strategy in Somalia from 2001 to 2007 |url=https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/building-states-while-fighting-terror-contradictions-in-united-states-strategy-in-somalia-from-2001-to-2007 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndbuilding, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Building states while fighting terror: contradictions in United States Strategy in Somalia from 2001 to 2007}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/building-states-while-fighting-terror-contradictions-in-united-states-strategy-in-somalia-from-2001-to-2007}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }