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War-torn Societies Project

References

Hi – there could be more information on the War-torn Societies Project, which was a UN-affiliated initiative that subsequently became the international peacebuilding organisation Interpeace, as well as on the Somali think tanks that were established during Matthew Bryden's tenure as Somalia coordinator for WSP. In the interests of transparency I am declaring that I work for Bell Pottinger, a London-based PR agency, and that Matthew Bryden is my client. I will register this on the COI Noticeboard. Please see my user page for more information.

I suggest expanding the two sentences:

In 1996, he established a Somali program called WSP-International, which stands for War-torn Societies Project. Around the same time, he co-founded three Somali think-tanks.

To read:

In 1996, Matthew Bryden became Somalia coordinator for the War-torn Societies Project (now Interpeace), a UN-affiliated research organisation set up to assist the international community and national actors to understand and respond to the challenges of rebuilding war-torn societies in post-conflict situations. During this tenure, Bryden co-founded three Somali research and peace-building institutions: the Centre for Research and Dialogue in Mogadishu; the Puntland Development Research Centre in Garowe, Puntland; and the Academy for Peace and Development in Hargeysa, Somaliland.

References are in citation templates in the HTML. Many thanks. HOgilvy (talk) 17:06, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

We already had issues with Bell Pottinger representatives on the Dahabshiil page. Though it's good this time that you revealed your conflict of interest, please respect Misplaced Pages's policies, particularly those pertaining to neutrality. I realize that this may be challenging to adhere to with Bryden as your BP public relations client, but these are the website rules. Middayexpress (talk) 15:37, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

FYI, Midday, you should be made aware of the discussion at COIN, which is where I was pinged. CorporateM (Talk) 17:55, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

Lead

User:Middayexpress, I accidentally sort of mowed over your edits in the Lead, not realizing someone else was editing in real-time. Is the current ok? I am not familiar with the topic. CorporateM (Talk) 15:51, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

Sure. Middayexpress (talk) 15:54, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

Or not, since you reverted it. To avoid edit-warring, lets discuss it here. A few thoughts about the lead:

• I think that he has "written, books, essays and articles" is too trivial to include in the lead
• Ditto on his passport
• I think saying he was "the center of considerable controversy" sounds like original synthesis and editorializing
• We have a really long, awkward, run-on sentence describing the views of his critics.

CorporateM (Talk) 15:58, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

The fact that Bryden carries a Somaliland passport (which no country in the world recognizes) is important, but can be mentioned in the body. However, Bryden's longstanding support for the secessionist movement in Somaliland must be mentioned in the lede. Please propose alternate phrasing. Middayexpress (talk) 16:05, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

"Matthew Bryden is a Canadian political analyst. He is best-known for his work related to the Horn of Africa for the United Nations and other organizations. He was the coordinator for the UN's Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group from 2008 to 2012.

Bryden has been a supporter of the secession of Somaliland from Somalia. Critics have argued that he covertly sought to put Somalia in disarray to improve the odds of Somaliland being recognized as a free state. Bryden is a Canadian national, but carries a Somaliland passport."

It's debatable what Bryden is best known for. We can only state with confidence what he is known for, and that's his time at the SEMG and ICG, as well as his concurrent, related support for the secessionist movement in Somalia's northwestern Somaliland region. Given this, here's better phrasing:

Matthew Bryden is a Canadian political analyst. Between 2004 and 2006, he served as a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. He was appointed coordinator of the UN's Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group in 2008, but was later fired from the post in August 2012 after the UN received "detailed complaints" about him.

Along with his in-laws, Bryden has been a supporter of the secessionist movement in the northwestern Somaliland region of Somalia. Critics have argued that he covertly abused his positions within the SEMG and ICG to promote disorder in Somalia, on the belief that this would improve the odds that Somaliland would receive international recognition as an independent country.

Perhaps it should also be pointed out (at least in the body) that Bryden wasn't always a supporter of secessionism. Earlier in his career, he apparently wrote papers promoting unity. It seems that the change may have happened when he met his current wife. Middayexpress (talk) 16:41, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

This may be original research or original synthesis, but I do remember seeing something along these lines in a proper secondary source. The structure is also a mess now and I'm not sure the best way to fix it. He is best-known for this one specific issue, which creates a WP:ONEEVENT problem. CorporateM (Talk) 17:23, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

Actually, it's all mentioned in the links that you just removed from the lede. The last part on Bryden's former unionist stance isn't mentioned, though. Middayexpress (talk) 17:42, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

The lead is suppose to contain no citations, because it summarizes the body of the article, per WP:LEAD, but a bot should restore the cites momentarily where they are used in the Body. CorporateM (Talk) 17:50, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

Ok, but the fact that he was fired as coordinator of the SEMG somehow slipped through in the body. Middayexpress (talk) 18:01, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

Break

I'm going to stop editing for now for the following reason: the only sources I can find that present a balanced portrayal of his life (such as growing up, his early career, etc.) are primary sources. He appears to be known for only two things: (a) advocating for the secession of Somaliland and (b) his aggressive and (arguably) over-reaching enforcement of arms agreements. Both these actions are highly controversial and areas attracting substantial criticisms for his role at "one of the toughest jobs in the UN".

I think it would be worth getting a few thoughtful comments from different editors before proceeding on a few options:

1. We could argue that "this is what he is best known for" and WEIGHT applies
2. We can point out WP:WI1E and WP:ONEEVENT and nominate the article for deletion
3. We can split the article up into articles on Somoliland and the United Nations Monitoring Group

CorporateM (Talk) 17:50, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

The page is about Bryden and should focus on him and his actions, not Somaliland or the Monitoring Group. The reason why they are mentioned at all is because of his apparent use of his position at the SEMG as well as the ICG to advance the secessionist movement's goals. It should be also be noted that he apparently wasn't always a supporter of separatism. Middayexpress (talk) 18:01, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

1. McNeil, Donald (25 March 2002). "Lawless land". The Free Library. Farlex. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
2. "Interpeace". interpeace.org. Interpeace. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
3. "War-torn Societies Project". unrisd.org. United Nations. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
4. "Geneva Peacebuilding Platform" (PDF). gcsp.ch. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
5. "CRD Somalia". crdsomalia.org. CRD Somalia. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
6. "PDRC". pdrcsomalia.org. PDRC. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
7. "APD Somaliland". apd-somaliland.org. APD Somaliland. Retrieved 30 August 2013.

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