Ending War: Lessons from Somaliland

Richard Iron CMG OBE in conversation with Dr Sarah Phillips.

In a region long beset by political strife and inter-state rivalries, Somaliland stands out as a beacon of hope in the Horn of Africa – stable, relatively democratic and broadly functional.

Unlike neighboring Somalia, from which it declared unilateral independence in 1991, Somaliland received little of the international aid and support that post-conflict zones typically attract.

Instead, argues Dr Sarah Phillips in When There Was No Aid: War and Peace in Somaliland (Cornell University Press, 2020), the lack of external intervention meant that the country was able to fashion innovative models blending Western governance with local customs. Somaliland provides a rare example of peace building without international involvement.

What does the Somaliland experience tell us about the (in)effectiveness of international assistance in advancing peace and development? What has contributed to its relative stability? And what lessons can be drawn from the role that women can play in solving intractable conflicts?

In the next of his acclaimed In Conversation series, Richard Iron is joined by Dr Sarah Phillips to explore the role of war in peace, the limitations of international responses to peace-building, and the importance of local discourse in building and maintaining peace.

Sarah Phillips is an Associate Professor in international security and development at The University of Sydney. Her research draws on in-depth fieldwork, and focuses on international intervention in the global south, knowledge production in conflict-affected states, state-building, and non-state governance, with a geographic focus on the Arabian Peninsula and Horn of Africa. Sarah is the author of three books and is published widely in top-tiered academic journals, including International Studies Quarterly, the European Journal of International Relations, African Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and International Affairs. Sarah has been awarded a number of prestigious competitive grants, including three from the Australian Research Council (one examining state-formation and external finance in Somalia/Somaliland, another on the organisational dynamics of maritime pirate organisations and, most recently, a project that will explore perceptions of terrorist groups in conflict-affected states).

This event is online only. Registrations close on Wednesday 2 September at 2pm, after which you will receive a follow-up email containing details of how to join the Zoom webinar. The webinar will commence at 5pm AEST (Melbourne time, UTC+10).