Somalia

We all remember the Clinton Administration's abortive humanitarian mission in Somalia, which led to the infamous "Blackhawk Down" episode. Well, the situation there has once again deteriorated to the point of anarchy: http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_JDJDNQS. It hasn't received much attention here in the U.S., with all that has been happening in Iraq and the ongoing, low-level conflict in Afghanistan, but this is a situation that bears watching. Somalia is the prototypical failed state, and it has the very real potential of destabilizing the entire region, which would include Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, and Tanzania. If you think that this won't matter, picture Darfur on a scale ten times worse. This could get very, very bad..........