Transnationalism and Civic Engagement:The role of Somali civil society in development and security

For more than two decades Somalia has lacked nationwide functioning bureaucratic Western inspired state institutions. Under such stateless circumstances, formally and informally organized social groups, have tried to fill the vacuum in providing social, economic, security and political services for the increasingly traumatized and displaced citizens. This has raised a number of relevant questions on the character, the representation, and the ability of Somali civil society groups to prevail under a stateless condition in attempting to promote security and tolerable social condition in a volatile country.Departing from selected theoretical conceptualizations of the term civil society and supplementing it with empirical developments, this paper discusses the Somali civil society with emphasis on its entrenched indigenous character and more recently emerging transnational appeal. Furthermore the paper proposes tentative strategic ideas on how to overcome major societal obstacles that have so far confronted Somali civil society in contributing to security consolidation.