Maritime Security
Counter-piracy, illegal fishing, trafficking, and domain awareness along one of the world's most sensitive stretches of water.
Overview
Analysis and policy design at the intersection of stability, security cooperation, and statecraft in a volatile neighborhood.
Somaliland's stability is its most under-priced asset. In a region contending with insurgency, piracy, and state fragility, three decades of self-secured peace is a record few neighbors can match — and a foundation for security partnerships that the world increasingly needs.
MAAN examines how Somaliland can contribute to regional security — from maritime awareness in the Gulf of Aden to countering extremist finance — while strengthening democratic oversight of its own institutions. Security cooperation, done right, is one of the strongest bridges to formal international relationships.
Why It Matters
Stability is the offer, not the request
Somaliland has held together while neighbours fractured, and it has done so largely with its own resources. In a neighbourhood where international partners are short of reliable counterparts, a stable and professional security partner is a genuinely scarce commodity — and scarcity is leverage.
Inside This Area
The strands of our work
Counter-Extremism
Why Somaliland has largely resisted the insurgencies that destabilized its neighbours — and what sustains that resilience under pressure.
Security-Sector Governance
Professionalization, civilian oversight, and democratic accountability — the reforms that make security institutions both effective and trusted.
Regional Threat Analysis
Border dynamics, arms flows, climate-driven displacement, and the spillover risks that Somaliland's decision-makers cannot afford to be surprised by.
Key Questions
What we're trying to answer
01
Which security contributions would partners most value from Somaliland, and at what cost?
02
How is democratic oversight of the security sector strengthened without weakening capability?
03
What explains Somaliland's resilience to violent extremism — and how durable is it?
04
How should Somaliland prepare for climate-driven and displacement-driven security pressures?
Workstreams
What we're working on
Security-sector professionalization and civilian oversight
Maritime security and counter-piracy cooperation frameworks
Regional threat analysis for Somaliland's decision-makers
Publications
Published work in this area
Policy Paper41 pp
Effective and Accountable: Civilian Oversight of Somaliland's Security Sector
Democratic oversight and operational capability are frequently framed as a trade-off. Drawing on comparative practice from small states with limited defence budgets, this paper argues they are mutually reinforcing, and proposes an oversight architecture appropriate to Somaliland's institutions, budget, and threat environment.
14 April 2026National Security
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MAAN partners with researchers, institutions, and governments across all five focus areas.