When Somalia became independent in 1960 the leaders adopted clan-based politics covered up with the bright veneer of democracy. It failed largely because the pillars on which their democracy stood was not genuine. The military came upon the scene in a bloodless coup and destroyed political institutions their predecessors had established. They installed a new socialist system, thinking that Somalia would become a communist state overnight. But the military did fail, too. Tribal wars began as a result of the military's failure to fulfill its promises and people thus have started to kill each other on clan basis. The national institutions have been dismantled amid widespread chaos and insecurity in the country. After 16 years of fighting, Islamic Courts have now come to power. They are setting a new political system quite different from what we used to see. We are beginning a new era and a new history under the umbrella of Islamic Courts Union which I doubt will bring any remedy to the historic ills of crime and violence

With the spades of Time
I dug treasures of history
But much to my displeaure
I found no trace of the past

My history has not been preserved
The national statues had fallen down
They had bitten the sands of anarchy
The libraries have not been spared either
They were looted in a most inhumane way

The Museums were terribly ransacked
They are like a ghost in its former soul
We are shaped by culture of war and revenge
We have burned up our ancestral heritage
And sold out its ash to generate cash

Somalia is at the verge of extinction
Instead of letting actions reinforce each other
We take steps that cancel out each other
A nation can not survive without a history
Much as a tree can not grow without roots