Jethro Norman
jethronorman.bsky.social
Jethro Norman
@jethronorman.bsky.social
Senior Researcher, Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS).

Conflict, security and development.

& occasionally Cricket, rugby and football.
Strong reporting by @mohamedgabobe.bsky.social in @ajenglish.bsky.social on the dangers of linking Somaliland’s recognition to the forced relocation of Palestinians.

I gave my perspective on how such proposals would hand extremist groups a propaganda victory and threaten stability in the region.
Somaliland recognition for forced transfer of Palestinians? ‘Not worth it’
Locals and analysts say reported plan to forcibly move Palestinians from Gaza to Somaliland risks inflaming the region.
www.aljazeera.com
September 8, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Reposted by Jethro Norman
🆕| How are digital technologies reshaping foreign fighter participation in contemporary warfare? What implications does this transformation present?

@jethronorman.bsky.social examines for @carnegieendowment.org & @forsvarshogskolan.bsky.social⤵️
Foreign Fighters 2.0: The Interplay of Technology and Lived Experience in the Russia-Ukraine War
Two young men seeking to join Ukraine’s foreign legion illustrate the changing dynamics of warfare in the digital age.
carnegieendowment.org
July 10, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Reposted by Jethro Norman
New piece from @jethronorman.bsky.social describing how digital tech is fundamentally reshaping foreign fighter participation in war.

Part of @carnegieendowment.org series edited by @warmatters.bsky.social and myself!

👇 👇👇

carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
Foreign Fighters 2.0: The Interplay of Technology and Lived Experience in the Russia-Ukraine War
Two young men seeking to join Ukraine’s foreign legion illustrate the changing dynamics of warfare in the digital age.
carnegieendowment.org
July 9, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Jethro Norman
Foreigners in Ukraine may have ideological drive & combat experience traditionally characteristic of foreign fighters. But their value here comes from their tech knowledge.

@jethronorman.bsky.social (@carnegiedcg.bsky.social, @forsvarshogskolan.bsky.social‬): carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
Foreign Fighters 2.0: The Interplay of Technology and Lived Experience in the Russia-Ukraine War
Two young men seeking to join Ukraine’s foreign legion illustrate the changing dynamics of warfare in the digital age.
carnegieendowment.org
July 8, 2025 at 6:01 PM
I spoke to Al Jazeera about the Trump administration’s surge in drone strikes, and why the logic behind them is less strategic than theatrical.

Incisive work by @mohamedgabobe.bsky.social

www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/...
Under Trump, US strikes on Somalia have doubled since last year. Why?
As Trump hits the Horn of Africa, experts caution against drone strikes, saying the US needs to invest in peacebuilding.
www.aljazeera.com
June 25, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Glad to contribute to this piece on the resurgence of piracy off the Somali coast, and how it intersects with Red Sea conflict dynamics, fishing economies, and regional security.
Via @telegraphnews.bsky.social ; @diis.dk

www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...
Somali pirates use Red Sea crisis to stage return
Rise in Houthi attacks distracts naval patrols from the threat of hijackers off the Horn of Africa
www.telegraph.co.uk
May 7, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Important reporting from Mohamed Gabobe on allegations of abuse by AU peacekeepers in Somalia. I offered some thoughts on the implications for humanitarian accountability and intervention dynamics.

www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/202...
African Union peacekeepers in Somalia accused of widespread abuse
TNH interviewed nearly a dozen people who all alleged that they, or their deceased relatives, were victims of beatings or killings by AU peacekeepers.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
March 13, 2025 at 9:22 AM
With some of the cheapest mobile data rates in Africa, extensive mobile money adoption, and the creative use of platforms like WhatsApp for governance and aid, Somalia challenges our assumptions about so-called "failed states."

www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-...
Why Mogadishu has better mobile phone reception than Manchester
Somalia largely skipped the landline era entirely, leaping straight to mobile networks. Today, 4G coverage extends across major urban centres
www.spectator.co.uk
March 11, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Reposted by Jethro Norman
February 12, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Jethro Norman
Glad @theeconomistevents.bsky.social found my colleague and friend’s fantastic research on Northern Somalia/Somaliland and how development +governance are done on WhatsApp.
Happy to be referred to as a Mancunian in
@economist.com this weekend.

And also to contribute to this interesting piece on how WhatsApp and other SoMe platforms have begun to function as governance tools in the Somali territories.

www.economist.com/middle-east-...

@diis.dk
Government by social media in Somalia
Cheap data, social media and creativity are filling in for an absent state
www.economist.com
January 26, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Happy to be referred to as a Mancunian in
@economist.com this weekend.

And also to contribute to this interesting piece on how WhatsApp and other SoMe platforms have begun to function as governance tools in the Somali territories.

www.economist.com/middle-east-...

@diis.dk
Government by social media in Somalia
Cheap data, social media and creativity are filling in for an absent state
www.economist.com
January 25, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Jethro Norman
Nine co-authors! @peteralalbrecht.bsky.social, @edle100.bsky.social, Mark Bradbury, @mahassan.bsky.social, Karuti Kanyinga, Fatima Dahir Mohamed, Ahmed Musa, @jethronorman.bsky.social and yours truly.
#diaspora, #COVID-19, #crises, #polycrises, #humanitarianism.
January 6, 2025 at 3:10 PM