Mark Bowden draws a pessimistic line from the vicious tribalism of Somalia in the days of "Black Hawk Down" to present-day Iraq.
Before a state can exist where there are deep-rooted, competing interests, there must be some broadly accepted concept of a nation strong enough to at least compete with parochial interests. There must be some generally accepted idea of a nation....Posted by Alan at January 2, 2007 07:48 AMMaybe we need to better appreciate that our nation remains an exception. I believe that in the long run people on this planet will embrace democracy and diversity, but we are not there yet. I still nurse hope that Iraqis will abandon blood feuds for compromise and a democratic future, but it appears to be a longer shot today than three years ago, and it was a bad bet then.