Word: somalia
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This, of course, is something of a surprise to those who objected to the mission from the beginning. The standard line was that we would be in Somalia--and then the rest of the world--forever, as we plunged down the slippery slope of humanitarian aid. The mission's critics worried that a policy of sheer benevolence provides the U.S. with no clear stopping point. Sure, Somalia is better off now than before the intervention, but it still doesn't have a government, and people are still starving--but people are starving everywhere, and this argument could expand forever...
...real gift in our withdrawal from Somalia has little to do with not worrying if we can solve all of Somalia's problems. It is our new relationship with the United Nations. We are actually following--really following--the principles of collective action, and this marks a big transition...
...didn't have to be this way. The UN was not interested in invading Somalia before the U.S. did, and we have had little history of accepting even our allies running the program when we're involved. And American public opinion firmly supported U.S. aid to Somalia...
...fact, one thing that the Somalia intervention demonstrated was the way this country continues to look down on the Third World. Bosnia's civil war is described in almost mythical proportions: It has evil Serbs, innocent Muslims and a smattering of genocide. But it is still a war between intelligent people, as far as the U.S. is concerned...
Despite the renewed violence, American officials said they were going ahead with plans to hand over command of the coalition to the U.N. next month. But they are eager to ease tensions quickly, to avoid the embarrassment of leaving Somalia in a hail of gunfire...