Terrorists, Geopolitics and Kenya’s Proposed Border Wall with Somalia

Authors

  • Brendon John Cannon Kisii University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15664/jtr.1235

Keywords:

terrorism, border wall, Kenya, Somalia, Al-Shabaab, international relations, boundary disputes, corruption, international terrorism

Abstract

Addressing border security appears to be a plausible approach for states that suffer from terrorism. Kenya’s border wall is to keep terrorists out of Kenya. Utilizing a comparative approach, this paper explores the efficacy of border walls, particularly Kenya’s wall with Somalia. Findings show that walls rarely accomplish stated goals and have unintended consequences. In Kenya’s case, it may reignite border disputes and separate communities. The success of Kenya’s border wall is low given the high levels of corruption and the fact that walls have been demonstrated to only be as good as the people who guard them.

Author Biography

Brendon John Cannon, Kisii University

Brendon J. Cannon is currently an associate professor at Kisii University in Kenya and the Director of the Gollis University Research Institute (GURI) in Hargeisa, Somalia. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Utah, USA in Political Science, with an emphasis on Comparative Politics and International Relations (IR). He lives in Nairobi.

Downloads

Published

2016-05-17

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2 (2016)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2016 The Author(s)

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).