Somalis are quick to expect the international community to solve their problems. Yet, the international community, including the United States, has contributed to the dismal situation in Somalia through inattention, misunderstanding, and unwise policy decisions dating back to the departure of United Nations’ forces in 1995. Ultimately, only Somalis can end the crisis; the international community will only have an impact on the margins. More on Saving Somalia

Despite the fact that I live so far away from Somalia, I am touched by the host of unpleasant events that are reported from there daily. Although I live in the US, I still have family and friends some of whom have never heard of the constitution, or indeed, do not have a twinkle of an idea of the political games that are being played by the political elite and the international community in Mogadishu, Baidoa and elsewhere in the region or the world at large. More on A scoop of constitutional crisis in Somalia or, is it politics as usual?