In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

290 Book Reviews eludes an interesting analysis of the "real" (i.e. informal and unofficial) economy in the 1980s. Eric Hooglund's "Government and Politics" focuses on the governmental structures and political dynamics during Barre's rule. It looks at the different opposition political parties, their power bases and their relations with each other, and concludes with a section on Somalia's foreign relations. The last chapter, "National Security," by Thomas Ofcansky , describes Somalia's internal and external security concerns, and cites a wealth of statistics on the military forces and armaments. It traces the history of the military in Somalia, its impact on social life and the economy, its relationship to the government, and its sources of materiel and training. The chapter ends with a treatment of the various internal security forces, the justice system, and the human rights situation since 1970. There is considerable overlap throughout the book, but rather than annoy the reader this repetition actually ties the chapters together and better explicates different topics, such as the organization and relative strengths of political movements opposed to Siad Barre's regime. The chapters are lucidly written, well rooted in the Somali literature, and complemented by many photographs, but the maps do not locate all the place names mentioned in the text. Overall, this book presents broad historical accounts which collectively explore and explain the varied dynamics behind Somalia's disintegration and the continued chaos and conflict there. Tim Carmichael Michigan State University The Soviet Union in the Horn ofAfrica: The Diplomacy of Intervention and Disengagement Robert G. Patman Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990, Volume 71 in the Soviet and East European Studies Series. 407 pp. + xvii. Any scholar, particularly recent doctoral students, attempting to make sense of our rapidly changing world, must feel a certain sympathy for Book Reviews 191 Robert Patinan. He has written a solid book based on a well-researched dissertation that analyzes the relationships between the Soviet Union, Somalia, and Ethiopia. Yet, by the time the book is reviewed in specialized academic journals, there is no Soviet Union, no Somalia, and perhaps no Ethiopia. Despite this sobering lesson in how ephemeral political analysis has become, Patman's book deserves serious attention by scholars interested in the Horn of Africa and the role external powers have had in the past and may have in the future. In addition to being a thorough historical account of an important relationship, it clarifies the limits to any foreign actor attempting to influence developments in the Horn of Africa. The latter issue will continue to be important in the years to come. This book, a revision of Patman's 1986 dissertation at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom, begins with this overarching question: The purpose of this study is to analyse the paradoxes of Soviet involvement in the Horn. This concern grew out of a nagging question : if the Soviet Union was one of the most powerful states in the world, and able to project military force in distant places like Ethiopia, why did it find it necessary to disengage in Somalia, a country where Soviet interests had apparently been firmly established ? (p. xi) Patman starts with a well-developed discussion of varied definitions of the concept of intervention and disengagement. These conceptual concerns lead Patman to focus on the assumptions and calculations that powers make when deciding to intervene or disengage. While keeping these considerations in mind, he investigates the experiences of the Soviet Union in the Horn of Africa in. Part One of the volume surveys Soviet interests and perceptions of the Horn through Siad Barre's 1969 coup in Somalia. Part Two examines the ambivalent, if not contradictory, relationship with Siad Barre, the complex initial reactions to the Ethiopian revolution, the attempt to create a Pax Sovietica in the Horn, and the impact of the Ogaden War on these relationships. This volume concludes by assessing the difficulties 292 Book Reviews the Soviet Union faced while trying to translate power into influence in the Horn. Although the book focuses on the 1974-78 period, the conclusion also includes some of Patman's thoughts on the implications of perestroïka on Soviet relations with Ethiopia...

pdf