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December 21, 2009

West Must Save the Failed State of Somalia

The Times, The Times

AP Photo

Dean Rusk, the former US Secretary of State, observed that power tends to corrupt, but loss of power corrupts absolutely. The recent history of Somalia is the proof. The country epitomises the concept of a failed state. Since the US and UN abandoned a humanitarian mission in 1995, Somalia has been locked in lawlessness and penury.

Somalia now risks becoming a haven for radical Islamists. Its condition matters for its people, and for Western security too. As reported on page 34 and for the next two days, Somalia’s problems are destabilising the region, particularly at sea, and are causing new problems for the Somali diaspora in the UK.

Western policy towards Somalia has a chequered history. Somalia’s location in the Horn of Africa made it a site of superpower...

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TAGGED: Somalia, United States, Dean Rusk, Secretary of State

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