Groupthink is the psychological phenomenon that occurs when an individual's desire for consensus and acceptance from a group of people overrides the individual's desire to present alternatives, critique a position, or express an unpopular opinion to that group. It sometimes leads to that individual adopting the opinion of the majority. From an evolutionary standpoint, groupthink stemmed from the need for early humans to form harmonious groups to survive.

In modern times, groupthink remains a powerful factor in human psychology. It subconsciously influences the way we interact with others in many social, political and business contexts.

Somaliland is an autonomous region in northern Somalia which declared independence in 1991 after a 10 year conflict. Its sovereignty is not officially recognised by any state. It has petitioned the Somalian government for independence on a number of occasions to no avail. It has a distinct regional history and cultural features and holds its own democratic elections.

The African Union is a continental union with 55 member states. It has the mandate and legitimacy to resolve disputes surrounding sovereignty on the continent by compelling negotiations, fact-finding and making final determinations on these issues.

Security theatre refers to a set of common practices implemented in high-risk locations (e.g. airports, train stations, government buildings, densely populated urban areas). Examples of security theatre include onerous airport security measures (100mL liquid rule, removing shoes going through security), visible CCTV, complex scanners and randomised searches.

Federalism is a mode of governance that meaningfully divides power - legislative, executive and judicial - between a national government and regional governments (e.g. states). It is contrasted with both unitary governance, where power is concentrated by a central authority, and confederacy, where the states are the dominant power.