An American and a Somali have co-authored another fine study in the growing West-view Press series of "Profiles" on modem states. The subtitle neatly captures the topic's central irony: although Somalis constitute one of the very few peoples of Africa who fit within the European concept of nationhood, the vagaries of colonial history left them divided between four states (Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya). Efforts to bring all Somalis under one roof has been the Somali government's overriding objective since independence in 1960, to the torment of the country's three neighbors and great power patrons.
Laitin and Samatar have written a survey full of charm. Perhaps most appealing is the portrayal of "a nation of poets," and the demonstration of poetry's critical place in the country's cultural and political life. Imagine the sight "of a group of nomads in the deep recesses of the bush huddled around a small shortwave transistor, somberly discussing the contents of a poem just broadcast over the BBC Somali service, while their camels lazily graze nearby, oblivious of their owners' impassioned literary criticism." Also fascinating is the influence of the camel on modem Somali life and the description of the post-colonial reversion to a non-industrial economy.
The one major fault has to do with the authors' embarrassingly simple acceptance of Marxist methods and goals. They are honest enough to admit that the "scientific socialism" of the 1970s ruined the country's economy; but they seem bewildered at this unhappy result. Ignore the efforts at economic analysis, however, and the book makes for a splendid introduction to an obscure yet engrossing country.
