Somaliland’s Relative Isolation

This chapter explores how Somaliland’s independence discourse assigns meaning to the region’s relative isolation within the international system. To that end, the chapter first provides some background about the kinds of intervention that Somalia has experienced. It then considers the effects of the independence discourse and international isolation on Somaliland’s economy, even as it delves into Somaliland’s pre-independence economic insulation. Here, the unusual nature of Somaliland’s relative exclusion from international economic and political structures is reified as a pillar of its ability to establish peace. The absence of intervention during Somaliland’s early years energizes a powerful discourse about Somalilanders’ exceptionalism, the self-reliance of its people, and the ownership of its institutions.