Somalia, the New Barbary?: Piracy and Islam in the Horn of Africa ...

By?Martin N. Murphy
Columbia University Press, $26.50,?277 pages

Somalia is the problem child of the world. It has not had a functioning central government since the corrupt dictator Barre left office in 1991. It has been a scene of humanitarian crisis after humanitarian crisis. The United States tried to intervene under the auspices of the United Nations, but left after a short stay and refuses to send troops back into the quagmire that is Somalia. In recent years, piracy has been on the front pages, with pirates from Somalia getting special intention. Many political commentators are asking are they working for themselves, are they supporting Islamic terrorists, and how to stop them so they stop praying on ships.

In this well written book Martin Murphy takes the reader on a journey of history of piracy in Somalia, but also the political factions and the role that clans play in this society. For many people in the West, it is hard to understand the role that clans play in Somalia, but to understand piracy and how to get it under control we have to understand clans and embrace the role that they play.

This book should be read by anyone wanting to know more about the situation on the ground, and what can be done to combat the problem of piracy.

Reviewed by Kevin Winter

Source: http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/current-events-politics/somalia-the-new-barbary-piracy-and-islam-in-the-horn-of-africa-columbiahurst/

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