It is a conflict between political entrepreneurs representing a new macropower and people s organizations drawn from the clans, religion, and women. If there is a place for outsiders in Somalia to build peace and create a setting for devel op ment, it is to strengthen capacities among local groups, Islamic institutions, and women s groups. Such capacity building creates opportunities for leveraging the peace process from a grassroots perspective and promises to bring energy and activity to the very groups that have already provided leadership to support peaceful integration. This approach through local institutions places emphasis on development rather than on narrow political power and gives priority to human and social services rather than simply making money. There are at least three specific leveraging tools that outside groups can consider.
Total decentralization is chaos, as events of the past five years confirm.
But greater local authority is fundamental to the development of sufficient local capacity to check autocracy. Local arrangements underpinning a sustainable autonomy have sprung up already in dozens of ways throughout the country. Our visit made us aware of many examples. There are three compelling reasons why Islam is an important component of any Somali peace effort. First, it provides a well-established and highly respected ethical and value sys tem for carrying out social programs.