Jared Cohen - The New Digital Age

U.N. established a mobile network: “Press Briefing by the U.N. Offices for Pakistan and Afghanistan,” United Nations, News Centre, January 16, 2001, http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/afghanistan/infocusnews.asp?NewsID=136&sID=4.

four major operators in Afghanistan: Afghanistan—Telecoms, Mobile, Internet and Forecasts: Executive Summary, BuddeComm, accessed October 18, 2012. http://www.budde.com.au/Research/Afghanistan-Telecoms-Mobile-Internet-and-Forecasts.html. The above source shows that as of 2011 there were 17.6 million total mobile subscribers in Afghanistan with the four major operators “carrying market shares in excess of 20%.” From this we estimate “some 15 million,” which is conservative.

carriers were able to restore functionality: Tim Large, “Cell Phones and Radios Help Save Lives After Haiti Earthquake,” Reuters, January 25, 2010, http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/01/25/us-haiti-telecoms-idUSTRE60O07M20100125.

Digicel and Voilà, reported that they were able to operate: Suzanne Choney, “Firms Scramble to Repair Haiti Wireless Service,” MSNBC, updated January 22, 2010, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34977823/ns/world_news-haiti/t/firms-scramble-repair-haiti-wireless-service/#.UIBq5MVG-8B.

Get the towers up, get them running: Cameron R. Hume, in discussion with Jared Cohen, January 2010.

Donated cell towers had to be guarded: Suzanne Choney, “Firms Scramble to Repair Haiti Wireless Service,” MSNBC, updated January 22, 2010, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34977823/ns/world_news-haiti/t/firms-scramble-repair-haiti-wireless-service/#.UIBq5MVG-8B.

Vodafone’s speedy restoration of service in Egypt: “Statements—Vodafone Egypt,” Vodafone, see January 29, 2011, and February 2, 2011, http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/media/press_statements/statement_on_egypt.html.

“We had people sleeping in the network centers”: Vittorio Colao in discussion with the authors, August 2011.

Roshan, is also the country’s biggest investor and taxpayer: “Western Union and Roshan to Introduce International Mobile Money Transfer Service in Afghanistan,” Roshan, News, February 27, 2012, http://www.roshan.af/Roshan/Media_Relations/News/News_Details/12-02-27/Western_Union_and_Roshan_to_Introduce_International_Mobile_Money_Transfer_service_in_Afghanistan.aspx.

Roshan employs thousands: Ibid.

8 percent stake in The New York Times : Russell Adams, “Carlos Slim Boosts Stake in New York Times Again,” Wall Street Journal, October 6, 2011, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203388804576615123528159748.html.

“I think that more than feeling just Lebanese, I feel I am part of the world altogether”: Carlos Slim Helú, in discussion with the authors, September 2011.

growth of mobile phones in Somalia: Abdi Sheikh and Ibrahim Mohamed, “Somali Mobile Phone Firms Thrive Despite Chaos,” Reuters, November 3, 2009, Africa edition, http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE5A20DB20091103; Abdinasir Mohamed and Sarah Childress, “Telecom Firms Thrive in Somalia Despite War, Shattered Economy,” Wall Street Journal, May 11, 2010, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704608104575220570113266984.html.

functions across all three regions: “Somalia—Telecommunications Overview,” Infoasaid, accessed October 18, 2012, http://infoasaid.org/guide/somalia/telecommunications-overview.

Only one commercial bank exists in Somalia: Mohamed Odowa, “Rebuilding Trust in Somali Commercial Banking,” Somalia Report, May 15, 2012, http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/3347/Rebuilding_Trust_in_Somali_Commercial_Banking; Dinfin Mulupi, “Opening a Bank in Somalia? Not a Crazy Idea, Says Businessman,” How We Made It in Africa (Cape Town), June 18, 2012, http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/why-we-decided-to-open-a-bank-in-somalia/17530/.

mobile money-transfer services allow: Sahra Abdi, “Mobile Transfers Save Money and Lives in Somalia,” Reuters, March 3, 2010, http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/03/03/us-somalia-mobiles-idUSTRE6222BY20100303.

Bahraini telecom tried to expand: Cynthia Johnston, Reuters, “U.S. Authority Tells Batelco to End Iraq Cellular Service,” Arab News (Jeddah), July 27, 2003, http://www.arabnews.com/node/234902.

Somalia’s mobile penetration is much higher: Author discussions with government officials in Somalia, October 2012. It is worth noting that official statistics for Somalia sometimes show a lower percentage.

Pirates on the Somali coast: Jama Deperani, “Somali Pirate Rules and Regulations,” Somalia Report, October 8, 2011, http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/1706.

In a February 2012 report, the United Nations Security Council: Security Council Committee on Somalia and Eritrea Adds One Individual to List of Individuals and Entities, United Nations Security Council SC/10545, February 17, 2012, http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/sc10545.doc.htm.

a list of the ten functions of the state: Ashraf Ghani and Clare Lockhart , Fixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 124–166.

three commissions were created: Work Package 7 on Reparations, Report of Workshop II: The Interactions between Mass Claims Processes and Cases in Domestic Courts, Impact of International Courts on Domestic Criminal Procedures in Mass Atrocity Cases (DOMAC) and Amsterdam Center for International Law, June 18, 2010. See section by Peter van der Auweraert, presenter of “Panel Three: Iraq Reparation Schemes,” pages 27–31, http://www.domac.is/media/domac/Workshop-II-report-Final.pdf.

A parallel authority was set up to resolve disputes: Ibid., see Discussion of the Cassation Commission, pages 28 and 30.

But despite their good intentions: Ibid, 29–31.

The Somali diaspora: France Lamy, “Mapping Towards Crisis Relief in the Horn of Africa,” Google Maps, August 12, 2011, http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/08/mapping-towards-crisis-relief-in-horn.html.

The journalist Naomi Klein: Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (New York: Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt, 2007).

hundreds of thousands were killed: “Paul Farmer Examines Haiti ‘After the Earthquake,’ ” NPR, July 12, 2011, http://www.npr.org/2011/07/12/137762573/paul-farmer-examines-haiti-after-the-earthquake.

The Haitian government believes: “Haiti,” New York Times, updated August 26, 2012, http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/haiti/index.html.

while a leaked memo: Emily Troutman, “US Report Queries Haiti Quake Death Toll, Homeless,” Agence France-Presse (AFP), May 27, 2011, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jELhQRaWNNs56GOlifagC5F4DSZg?docId=CNG.699dc08a5f873f53071a317e008a7a5b.3a1.

“text to donate” campaign: Lindsey Ellerson, “Obama Administration Texting Program Has Raised $5 Million for Red Cross Haiti Relief,” ABC News, January 14, 2010, http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2010/01/obama-administration-texting-program-has-raised-5-million-for-red-cross-haiti-relief/.

$43 million in aid: Elizabeth Woyke, “Yes, You Can Still Donate Money to Haiti via Your Cellphone,” Forbes, January 12, 2011, http://www.forbes.com/sites/elizabethwoyke/2011/01/12/yes-you-can-still-donate-money-to-haiti-via-your-cellphone/.