World Politics Review published on 19 August 2014 a good analysis titled "Al-Shabab: A Close Look at East Africa's Deadliest Radicals" by Peter Dorrie, a freelance journalist.
Dorrie concludes that al-Shabaab has emerged from an existential crisis and looks stronger than it has in years. He describes al-Shabaab as the only faction in Somalia's political landscape with a clear and, for the most part, consistent political agenda.
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