Laura Chinchilla, 50, has already served as vice-president and minister of justice. Photo Costa Rican Ministry of Justice

On Sunday, February 7, Costa Rica elected Laura Chinchilla as the country’s first female president.

Chinchilla, of the ruling National Liberation Party (PLN), received 47 percent of the vote. Her principal rival, Ottón Solís of the Citizens Action Party, won 25 percent.

The election was held without incident and Chinchilla, a former vice-president, has committed to the free-market policies of current president, Oscar Arias. She has also pledged to combat drug-trafficking and its associated violent crime.

Despite smugglers increasingly using the country as a staging post for drugs en route from South America to the US, Costa Rica is one of Latin America’s most stable nations. The country abolished its army in 1949 and is today renowned as a tourist destination.

Costa Rican bloggers commented on the smooth election process. (Original blogs in Spanish, with translations by James Matthews.)

From Elecciones 2014-2018-Costa Rica, a blog monitoring the electoral race:

The elections took place with a festive atmosphere, as has been the tradition in this Central American nation over the last 50 years - Costa Rica is considered one of the most solid and longstanding democracies in Latin America.

There was, however, a mixed reaction to the election result and many commentators questioned Chinchilla’s strong links with the incumbent president.

From Wolverine, commentary on Costa Rica:

[Chinchilla] is now our president. Let’s give her a chance to demonstrate her independence [from outgoing President Oscar Arias] and prove that she is capable of holding the office of president of Costa Rica, and exceeding the expectations of the people.

From Conoche San José de Noche, an opinion blog:

Let’s have faith in the great support that [Chinchilla] has from a big sector of the country. Let’s hope that she will return that support with intelligent policies that will tackle the country’s biggest problems - crime, poverty and unemployment. It is no secret, however, that if the PLN’s strongman, Oscar Arias, has been unable to make inroads on these problems, it will be a difficult task for [Chinchilla].

Other bloggers expressed outright disappointment at the election of a president from the governing party.

From El Mae del Bajo:

I had hopes for a surprise. There was a festive atmosphere on the streets and it seemed that we possessed greater political maturity. I didn’t believe the polls…It was our opportunity to remove these neoliberals from power - I don’t want to live in this Costa Rica of few haves and many have-nots. Unfortunately, it was not enough to convince the indecisive and to spread the word.

Umaru Yar’Adua at the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Photo: Andy Mettler/World Economic Forum on Flickr

The Nigerian national assembly voted today to install Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan as interim leader until ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua is fit enough to return to office.

Yar’Adua has been in Saudi Arabia since November 2009, where he is receiving medical treatment for a heart condition. His absence has left the country without a formal leader, and has led to a breakdown in a government cease-fire with fighters in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

In addition, there has been renewed sectarian violence in the central city of Jos, where almost 400 people were killed in two days of clashes between Muslims and Christians in November 2008.

Questions remain over the legality of Jonathan’s appointment as temporary leader, a measure approved by both houses of the assembly. According to Nigeria’s constitution, Yar’Adua must make a written declaration that he is unfit to govern - a move which he has not yet taken.

In Nigeria, bloggers have commented on living in a country of 150 million without a formal leader and the political uncertainty that it has unleashed:

From Nigerian Curiosity, the “musings of a concerned Nigerian”:

A ‘rule of law’ President all the way in Saudi Arabia does not help the average Nigerian and the confusion this absence leaves in its wake only compounds issues. What is beyond confusion, nevertheless, is that the political disorientation Nigeria currently experiences will not soon abate.

From Grandiose Parlor, commentary on Nigeria:

The president has broken his contract with the Nigerian people who voted him into office … [T]here are just too many controversies surrounding his medical stay in Saudi Arabia to warrant forgiveness from the Nigerian people. Dead or alive, Alhaji Umaru YarAdua is no longer fit to govern Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The leadership crisis has also triggered criticism of Nigeria’s political class. From Adeola Aderounmu’s blog, Thy Glory O Nigeria..!

Those who own and run Nigeria don’t care about the millions living in poverty and desperation … [S]ince we don’t have democracy in Nigeria and since those who run Nigeria do not give account to anyone, the rest of us can remain in coma with the runaway fake president. Welcome to Nigeria, a country ruled by mad politicians and gangsters called godfathers. They are sharing money, bribing themselves back and forth and everything is so uncertain.

The author of Nigerian Curiosity has also predicted that any statement from Yar’Adua on his capacity to govern will be questioned from many quarters:

This disturbing reality - questions about Yar’Adua’s capacity - lends itself to any letter that might be issued and signed by him. Already, there is a court case alleging that the 2010 budget introduced during the President’s absence has a forged signature on it. Hence, it is likely that any letter supposedly signed by the President to the National Assembly will equally be questioned and rightly so as it remains unclear whether President Yar’Adua is in a position, healthwise, to perform such functions. And, if he is capable, then how long will he be gone for? Will this time be added to the almost 80 days he has been gone? The questions are limitless …

- James Matthews

A South Korean honor guard in Yongsan. Photo: Flickr user ImComKorea

Worldfocus contributing blogger Jamblichus analyzes the leadership style of the conservative South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, which he likens to that of a CEO, and his controversial plan to dredge Korea’s major waterways.

If you were a shareholder in the Republic of Korea, plc., you’d probably be quite content and thinking about buying more stock: Lee has clinched a huge project to sell locally developed nuclear reactors to the United Arab Emirates, a first for the country and as a result making South Korea only the sixth place in the world to export nuclear reactors.

He has launched an ambitious $19.2 billion program to dredge and “clean up” the nation’s four major rivers, pledging the project will generate thousands of jobs, improve water supply and quality, and prevent flooding, while also boosting the nation’s “aquatic tourism.” Sounds good, does it not?

Except that most people who know anything about it are united in their opposition. Take Hong Jong-ho, an economist at Hanyang University, for example, who argues that the project would create an “environmental disaster” that would worsen flooding and pollute the two rivers that supply drinking water for two-thirds of the nation’s 49 million people and that costs would run as high $50 billion.

(Lee claimed that 60 percent to 70 percent of it would be recovered by selling sand and gravel scraped from the riverbeds — hardly likely to have a positive environmental impact surely? — and that the rest would come from private investment. )

And opposition party chairman Chung Sye-kyun claims the administration has not conducted a proper feasibility study and its environmental impact assessment on the 634-kilometer area, completed in just four months, was slap-dash and troubling. Plans to place the project in the hands of project in the hands of the Korea Water Resources Corporation, which is not subject to National Assembly budget reviews, have also raised concerns, according to local paper the Hankyoreh.

Yet Lee is highly unlikely to pay much attention to their fretting; you see, Mr Lee’s silvery lining as leader has a cloud attached and it hovers above everything he touches like a possible ratings downgrade from a credit agency or a sell recommendation from an influential analyst. The cloud, which is a towering cumulonimbus, rather than your wispy cirrus is this: President Lee runs the nation like a company.

He is no democrat, for a CEO with a penchant for collaborative leadership or one who recognizes the value of dissent is generally a weak CEO. To Lee, those who disagree with his position are renegade shareholders who may damage the stock value. They must be brought on side or silenced before the international markets notice.

The president is equally aware of who the majority shareholders are in his enterprise. They are the conglomerates, the establishment academics whose intellectual prostitution allows for their recruitment as technocratic advisers, they are the fund managers and construction companies.

“We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still,” wrote British philosopher John Stuart Mill, but that is the mindset of a philosopher, not a businessman.

So as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission gets its funding shut off and its offices closed down; as the National Human Rights Commission gets its funding reduced and its independence threatened; as the judiciary faces an almighty assault on its integrity, it is a little disconcerting to read that CEO Lee’s government is to invest $1.5 billion, yes, billion, in building marinas and subsidizing the construction of yacht clubs.

Whether this seems like an appropriate priority for a nation’s government dear reader, led by a businessman or otherwise, I leave to your impartial assessment.

A ceramic frog dedicated to the Haiku poet Basho, at Basho Inari Shrine in Tokyo. Photo: Flickr user Maynard

Hsin-Yin Lee, a former associate producer at Worldfocus, is a news editor at the “China Times” in Taipei.

With all eyes on the Wall Street crisis and China’s rise, it’s rather refreshing to see the first EU president being elected — not to mention that he is also a haiku poet.

Herman Van Rompuy, the future head of the EU, is probably best known for his low profile. However, his passion for haiku has helped him build up a reputation in Japan.

Described as the “EU’s gentle leader” by the Japanese media, Van Rompuy’s charisma seems to lie in both his discreet political philosophy and his pleasant personality. In his personal blog, Van Rompuy played a little joke with himself by writing about his baldness:

“Hair blows in the wind / After years there is still wind / Sadly no more hair.”

Not as welcoming as the Japanese media, the Europeans are more critical about Van Rompuy’s leadership. The Independent, ridiculed him in an article “Meet Haiku Herman, Will Europe make him a very famous Belgian?”

The newspaper also held a friendly competition on Brussels-themed haiku. Although the satire is truly funny, somehow I felt that people have a misconception of haiku and take it as doggerel or merely as a practice of broken grammar. Look at the works by the Independent staff and you might agree with me:

“He writes poems! / That should cheer dull hours / Of talks on iron ore tariffs.”

“Vintage wine at lunch: / Expensed. At least it’s not / American, you claim.”

To better understand Van Rompuy, I’d suggest that we begin with haiku — the traditional wisdom of Japan. Consisting of 5/7/5 syllables respectively in three metrical phrases, each haiku attempts to reveal a moment of insight.

Such a moment was best illustrated in a famous haiku written by the 17th-century poet Matsuo Basho:

“Old pond / A frog leaps in / Water’s sound.”

(Original: 古池 や furuike ya / 蛙 飛込む kawazu tobikomu / 水 の 音 mizu no oto)

This haiku was carefully created so as to lead to a splash that sets off ripples of thought for the reader. In addition, you can probably feel the late-summer nostalgia here–which is why each haiku contains a kigo, or seasonal reference, to touch off the seasonal miracle of mother nature. In the case of Basho’s haiku, the kigo is “frog”.

What haiku shares with people, in my opinion, is appreciation of the present. Unlike the Christian tradition of questioning our lives “out there,” haiku focuses on “just this” — just this moment, no more nor less. In times of turmoil, it might help people slow down, take a deep breath and start out once again.

While some haiku followers try to engage the material life as little as possible, others argue that a true haiku mind is oriented to the world and people must learn how to work in harmony. Now, does it sound more like an idea the world leaders can apply in the Copenhagen Summit?

Whether Van Rompuy can borrow haiku’s wisdom in political affairs remains unclear. Perhaps not surprisingly, he had already made a first step. At a press conference in October, Van Rompuy read one of his haiku works that explained how Belgium, Spain and Hungary will cooperate on EU policy issues in 2010:

“Three waves, / Roll into port together, / The trio is home.”

A young woman in Minas de Oro. Photo: Flickr user lonqueta

The United States has been actively engaged lately in solving the Honduran presidential crisis. The U.S. State Department officials have helped broker a deal to end the sometimes violent dispute between Mel Zelaya, the deposed Honduran president, and Roberto Micheletti, designated as president when the Honduran military escorted Zelaya out of town in his nightclothes. Let’s hope the crisis is resolved once and for all today.

Consider me an idealist, but I’m thinking beyond that — about steps that might solve the underlying social issues that plague Honduras.

As the months-long battle between the two presidents in Honduras moves toward a rational resolution, what about the abjectly poor Honduran majority?

Honduras needs financial support, economic relief, and definitely social help - why can’t the U.S. and other nations increase their involvement? Fifty percent of Honduras’ 7.7 million people are below the poverty line, and almost 40 percent are children. There is talk of a national unity government by the end of the year. Will that government be able to change the paradigm without international aid?

Inevitably, the U.S. has a role. It has characteristically abandoned social concerns once it finishes with its little wars and interventions. Don’t we have an ongoing responsibility in Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and the rest of the region?

Twenty-five years ago, probably the only positive part of turning Honduras into a U.S. staging base for American adventurism in Central America was that American military field hospitals scheduled regular health clinics in the countryside.

I remember seeing poor people waiting in line weekly medical screening, checkups and even surgeries that otherwise would not have taken place. I’m positive that thousands of Hondurans who rarely otherwise had seen a doctor benefited from American military largesse, even though the ulterior motives were not crystalline. It was part of the “hearts and minds” doctrine.

But development aid and social support are more than a handout. Stability in the Hemisphere is good for everyone.

First things first: Solve the political problem and then deal with underlying issues.

Honduras has taken a step backward during this crisis, according to Human Rights Watch.

“Honduras urgently needs to address the serious damage to human rights since the coup,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas Director at Human Rights Watch. “Honduras needs to roll back repressive legislation and give unequivocal orders to security forces to end their abuses and cooperate with the investigations of the human rights unit of the Attorney General’s office.”

- Peter Eisner

On Monday, seven weeks after Iran’s disputed presidential election, the country’s supreme leader endorsed the declared victor.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave his blessing to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, clearing the way for Ahmadinejad to be sworn in on Wednesday for a second term.

Watch a video of the ceremony from an Iranian television channel:

But later, there were reports of new clashes in Tehran between security forces and protesters who oppose Ahmadinejad.

One Twitter user purporting to be in Iran wrote of his discontent:

Ahmadinejad is not my president Ahmadinejad is not our president Ahmadinejad is not Iran’s president.. never.. never… never

In black monday: coup government was appointed. where is my vote? where is Iraniran’s vote?

Watch a video claiming to show Monday’s protests from YouTube user IranYouth:

A large trial began this weekend for those arrested in the violence and protests that followed the election. They included many prominent politicians and religious figures.

For more, view our Voices of Iran extended coverage page and listen to our online radio show on Baha’i faith and modern Iran.

Ahmadinejad appeared in a debate on Monday with another conservative candidate who is a former commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guard, while supporters of both men held rallies on the streets of Tehran.

Below, view a slideshow of Iran’s election fever:

A blogger at “Tehran Post” describes how the debates have invigorated the country:

As you might know private television channels are forbidden by the law in Iran. In general, power-holders are really touchy about any media that could challenge their authority.

However, presidential elections in Iran are a chance for people to find out about diverse, mostly dissident political views in the state-run TV and get relieved from the official political propaganda that could not be cornier. Candidates are allotted equal time to talk about their plans with the citizens.

Campaign season in Iran.

[…]When 2 A.M. in the morning Tajrish Square in north of Tehran becomes the scene of gathering of Ahmadinejad and Musavi’s supporters, both celebrating their candidate’s victory, clear it becomes that the debate has been one with a deep impact, one that Iranians remember for a long time. [...] I wish [we] had a presidential election everyday in Iran! The sense of freedom is really great!

An Iranian blogger at “Sidewalk Lyrics” talks about why the election has mobilized Iran’s youth:

I wish I was in Tehran right now. Not because I like a particular candidate. Not because I believe in change or hope or even elections.

But because some election seasons, that dark, haunted city is sprinkled with life and color. Like a flower that blooms to life every few years, only to fall back into a deep, incurable coma for which you are never certain there will be an awakening.

I contemplate what could have been, what should have been but what never is, while it dances vividly all around me and I know that its death, like its birth, I will soon see.

And every time, I can’t help but wonder: maybe, this time around, the ending will be different.

People around the world find it fascinating, pathetic or strange that we Iranian youth have flown into the streets the way we have. We have done so out of desperation, fatigue, hope and curiosity.

Mousavi became prime minister two years before I was born. One year after the war. Two years after a revolution. In the midst of chaos and bloodshed of unimaginable proportions. Times were not easy, for anyone. And there we were, dropped into this world amidst all of that.

I will be a 25 year old tomorrow when I go out to vote. Second chances don’t come easy Mr. President. Whoever you may turn out to be.

Watch a video of Ahmadinejad’s supporters celebrating following one debate from YouTube user kelashinkof:

Blogger “Kamran,” an Iranian expatriate, explains why he plans to vote despite a lack of faith in the candidates:

A short telephone conversation to a couple of friends in Iran yesterday turned into an afternoon-long debate about the upcoming election.

My simple question about the latest campaign news produced brand new jokes about the candidates. They tell me that they have heard all these promises before and remind me that it wasn’t long ago that the president was Khatami.

[…]I will take a 45 minute train trip to go to Iranian embassy in The Hague to vote.  I don’t believe in these people and do not think any of the candidates can solve the enormous challenges we face, but I am still voting. During the past thirty years, our rights as Iranian citizens have been constantly under attack. This has been true despite many promises of protection and invitations to engage in the building of our society.

I am voting with the hope that not only the hardline government will change, but that we will build a more democratic society where women’s rights, a free press, free speech, and human rights are not a dream. Last 4 years proved our right can be in more danger than we could even imagine.

Being part of this initiative was unthinkable for me just four years ago. Four years of right-wing Ahmadinejad has put Iran on a downward path. I believe that Iranian expats should play a more constructive role and not keep waiting for some magical transformation of power.

Photos courtesy of Flickr users under a Creative Commons license.

For more, view our Voices of Iran extended coverage page and listen to our online radio show on Baha’i faith and modern Iran.

People bow at a memorial for former South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun.

On Friday, tens of thousands of South Koreans lined the streets at the funeral of their former president, Roh Moo-hyun.

Roh committed suicide by jumping from a cliff near his house in late May. His once-great reputation as an upstanding leader and fierce liberal had been tarnished of late, as he was engaged in a corruption scandal.

Soo-Mee Park is The Asia Foundation’s public affairs officer in Korea. She writes at the “In Asia” blog about experiencing the country’s shared grief.

Roh Moo-hyun’s Funeral

Standing in Gwanghwamun, the heart of downtown Seoul, amid the sea of sobbing mourners at the funeral of the former Korean president Roh Moo-hyun, a curious déjà vu struck me.

Out of nowhere, the scene in front of me overlapped with a black and white footage of the funeral of Park Chung Hee I had seen some years ago on a local history channel. For a moment, the connections seemed rather unclear. Then it hit me: there was something unusual to the public grief toward the deaths of these two men that somehow surpassed the loss of a political leader.

For years growing up in Korea, I always wondered why there was such hype surrounding Park’s glory in our history textbooks. True, his life was a little more dramatic than the others – the longest-serving president who led a revolutionary coup before he was assassinated by the head of his own intelligence service.

[...] Last week, the country observed a grim scene. Roh, an outspoken, and often militant, liberal, killed himself by jumping off a cliff near his retirement home. A month earlier, he had been called into the prosecutor’s office for an investigation over a bribery allegation. For days, the question remained in many of our minds: what does it take to push a man of his stature to the edge of a cliff?

As the hearse of Roh passed the streets of Seoul on Friday, sheer disbelief was palpable in the faces of many citizens. A group of men, some in business suits, climbed up to the roof of subway exits to watch the hearse passing. Riot police were everywhere, blocking the entry into the city square often used by local protesters for candlelight vigils, and fliers were sparsely posted on shop walls, some carrying anti-government slogans, others condolences for the loss of a man whose rhetoric on justice and hope was once so lively and refreshing that it even charmed young Korean voters who cared little about politics.

“Sorry we couldn’t protect you,” one flier on the wall read. “We were happy to have you as a president,” said another.

For many, Roh’s suicide was more than the loss of a political leader. Instead, his death seems to have resonated with a certain admission of defeat for the  revolutionary values and lack of compassion for the poor and uneducated in Korean society that Roh, a human rights lawyer with no college degree, had once symbolized.

By late evening, after the funeral, the streets of downtown Seoul had turned into a state approaching anarchy. Men stood on the portable platform of a truck on an empty, blocked road and shouted anti-government slogans; protest songs were flowing out of a loudspeaker and soju (liquor) bottles were tumbling onto the streets. The restless mood was furthered by the cheerless glimpse of routine city life – street vendors walking around with their carts full of steamed corn, fishcakes and hot dogs, offering them to mourners.

To read more, see the original post.

The views expressed by contributing bloggers do not reflect the views of Worldfocus or its partners.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user bittegitte under a Creative Commons license.

The FMLN is made up of former guerrillas who fought to overthrow U.S.-backed governments in El Salvador. President-elect Funes said he would seek strong relations with Washington and called for a spirit of “reconciliation” as one ARENA official called the country “totally divided.”

Watch a video of Funes going to cast his vote from YouTube user arpastv:

Blogger “Kaystle23” helped with election monitoring in San Salvador, and writes about the mood on the street:

There is a whole procedure that is needed to ensure that the votes are counted correctly and fairly, and so I was there to observe and ensure that no fradulent acts were committed.  […] The counting was done in a theatre, which was in the middle of a street. If you go up the street you´ll be met be met by ARENA supporters, and the other side, FMLN. The two had a cheer off you could say […] We scoffed when the FMLN started chanting “Si Se puede” (yes we can), which of course, had been coined by the Obama campaign. It was even funnier because ARENA said the same chant. Then FMLN started saying “It’s okay to cry” and then ARENA responded “you already lost.”

[…] To be here in El Salvador and to actually witness a real significant change in the country is amazing. Many have been waiting for this change in political parties for 20 something years, and for this to occur can be comparable to how many african americans felt when obama won. When Funes came on TV today and thanked the international observers who came, I was shocked of how much our presence means to the people of the country, and it gave me chills to think I may have in some way helped contributed to this momentous occasion. The streets after a proposed winner was called, was filled with fireworks and horns honking and the FMLN campaign teams running through the streets with flags. Everyone here is just excited for a new government, and they believe its finally time for a change.

So, even though I smell soo gross and im sweating liking no other, today was amazing, and I can´t wait to see how today will change the future of El Salvador.

Voters head to the polls.

Another blogger, ”Dalfa,” reacts to the election from Santa Ana (translation from Spanish by Worldfocus staff):

Yesterday was a historic day. Change came to the Left. They won the votes of the Salvadoran people and beat the other parties, beat businessmen, the media, fear and lies [...] democracy has returned to El Salvador.

[…]It is very emotional to see this go down in history, to live in this moment where change has come. You can smell it in the air — Salvadorans are going out into the street with smiles on their faces, now they know that things can change. Now, 20 years after the end of war, they know democracy is possible and that their votes count.

[…] I close this small reflection with hope that the future of El Salvador can be better, that we are done living under the boot of the Salvadoran Right.

Another blogger named “David,” an electrical engineer in San Salvador, reacts as well, noting the use of online campaigning (translation from Spanish by Worldfocus staff):

The internet has been very important this time in the elections, because young people have utilized the Internet instead of the traditional media, and I want to congratulate the political parties who have taken this into account. One must not forget that people of El Salvador must be united, and leave aside differences, to be able to have a better country [...] since only together we will be able to achieve true CHANGE — not just change of government, but change of attitude. [...] I congratulate Mauricio Funes.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user LShave under a Creative Commons license.

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was elected by the Somali parliament as the new president. Photo: IRIN

Moderate Islamist cleric Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed became president of Somalia after a parliamentary vote on Saturday, bringing hope to some in a country where no functioning central government has existed since 1991.

Ethiopian troops recently withdrew from the country after a two-year occupation and handed security duties over to a joint force of Somali government officials and Islamic militiamen.

Though Ethiopia drove Ahmed out of power when its army ousted the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) only a few years ago, the two countries have now agreed to work together.

Listen to the Worldfocus radio show and read the Q&A on the background of Somalia’s political and social instability and Ethiopia’s role in the country.

Rob Crilly is a freelance journalist based in Nairobi who has written for The Times, The Irish Times, The Daily Mail, The Scotsman and The Christian Science Monitor. Crilly’s blog “African Safari” appears on the blog network “From the Frontline,” where he discusses Somalia’s new president.

Somalia’s best chance of peace

Funny how things work out. Two years ago Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was on the run from an Ethiopian assault that had snatched Mogadishu from the Islamists who ran the city peacefully for six months. America had given its tacit support to the strike, fearing that Somalia was about to become a haven for al Qaeda. Sheikh Sharif was a wanted man.

Now he is president of Somalia, or at least that part of Somalia controlled by an alliance of the old discredited Transitional Federal Government and Sheikh Sharif’s moderate wing of the Islamist Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia.

He was chosen by the country’s MPs meeting in Djibouti, a result that will be something of an embarrassment for the West. British diplomats in particular were lobbying hard for his rival Nur Adde. Yet for anyone who wants peace in Somalia it has to be the right result.

Nur Adde may be the better politician, with his years of experience as an aid official. But Sheikh Sharif is the man who can unite the country. The new president faces an Islamist insurgency that has wrested control of large chunks of the country. If he can survive the initial onslaught that is sure to come from extreme opposition movements, and start to show momentum, bringing in donor cash and showing that his is the only game in town, he stands a chance of bringing his old allies in the Union of Islamic Courts on board.

The man I met two and a half years ago in a battle-scarred city struck me as a man prepared to talk. He wanted to tell the world that he was not a terrorist or an extremist but a man who wanted to make Somalia a better place. He and the Islamic Courts brought peace and security to a city that had experienced nothing but anarchy for a decade and a half.

He was anything but a cartoon Islamist. With his checked shirt, cargo pants and headscarf he looked more like Islamist by Gap.

His problem was that extremists within his movement went too far. Some of the Sharia courts within the union banned music in their areas of the city, cinemas were shut down and - the biggest mistake of all - stopped the trade in qat, the mild stimulant so beloved of Somali men. With popularity at home ebbing and little support from the international community Sheikh Sharif was unable to sideline the hardliners like Sheikh Aweys and the project was ultimately doomed.

This time around he faces the opposite challenge, bringing al Shabaab - designated a terrorist outfit by the State Department and which controls big chunks of Somalia - and Sheikh Aweys on board. It will be tough but he stands a better chance than Nur Adde, a former prime minister of the hated TFG, which is seen as a stooge of Ethiopia and western powers.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Somalia in four years of reporting (aside from the fact that anyone who tells you they know what they are talking about is a fool) is that nothing will work unless it comes from Somalia itself.

To read more, see the original post.

The views expressed by contributing bloggers do not reflect the views of Worldfocus or its partners.