Thoughtful essay by Vince Brown on the tensions between history and social memory theguardian.com/news/2024/mar/…

Thanks to Foreign Affairs for encouraging this piece from me Crisis Group. While many Western policymakers know that you can't lump together three continents under a single two-word phrase, some do sometimes flatten the world in exactly this way. foreignaffairs.com/world/trouble-…

To improve African security and livelihoods—and address the growing prevalence of coups—Western governments must take steps to help alleviate African countries’ economic challenges, write Comfort Ero and Murithi Mutiga. trib.al/acTfbuH

I'm thinking about how to study large structures from a historical perspective. And for this I find it useful to review Charles Tilly's warning about “pernicious postulates” common in 19th century thought, ideas that are still used at times in the social sciences today.👇

The relationship between the state and the market has always been a topic of tension among economists. Most cannot even imagine a market or economy functioning without a state. However, in Somalia, the market rose without the presence of a state. Interestingly, the market has

Colonial Origins of Democracy and Dictatorship by Alexander Lee, Jack Paine Why are some countries more democratic than others? Analyzes a global sample of colonies to explain countries' different experiences. 📚 cup.org/3TYZovB

My latest for Project Syndicate, with Anya Schiffrin and Dylan Groves on how important good, quality journalism is for society project-syndicate.org/commentary/rev…

Alhamdulillah our paper, "Exploring Climate Change Resilience of Major Crops in Somalia: Implications for Ensuring Food Security," is published in the esteemed International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability ranking Q1. Mohamed Okash Abdikafi H. Abdi tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.10…

Theories of democratization 1) Parties cause regime change. Proximate but obvious cause. 2) Classes cause regime change. Distant but incomplete cause. 3) Classes cause regime change through party coalitions. 💪

"The Middle East was reimagined as a Cold War chessboard, which left a legacy marked by dependencies, weak political institutions, low levels of civil and human rights protection, lopsided economic growth and political systems prone to authoritarianism." wp.me/p2MwSQ-hkr

This month, I've joined African Development Bank Group , continuing my passion as a son of Africa serving the great Africa continent in the areas of Governance & Economic Reform, covering East & Southern regions. This is a perfect timing as the Bank celebrates 60th Anniversary #AfDBAM2024 #afdbat60

James C. Scott, my mentor and friend, has passed away. A legendary social scientist, Jim was an exceptional scholar and one of the kindest people I've ever met. His contributions to political science and anthropology are unparalleled. 🧵 1/12

I just published The Critical Questions Our Generation Must Address for Somalia’s Future. link.medium.com/kKC9CsfSWMb

“I often reflect on the fact that I encountered a dead body long before I ever laid eyes on a newborn.” geeska.com/en/child-witho…

Hambalyo sxb.

I read Mahmood Mamdani’s Neither Settler nor Native a few months ago, but it’s been on my mind again, especially with his son Zohran Mamdani running for mayor of New York. It’s one of the most important books on identity, violence, & the modern state. 1/10