Last Assignment Blog of the Year!

[3chelsea]

Failed State – a state that has failed at some of the basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government.

Failing Nations: Why Things Fall Apart

The article talks about how a country is considered a failing state. Over one billion people live in countries that are in danger of collapsing!! Simple things can bring it on, like civil war, natural disaster, or a brutal takeover. Failed states hold many acts of terrorism and criminal organizations inside of them. Even the geography of the country can make it an easy victim for instability. Crowded nations face challenges, and even countries with great natural resources can be finding themselves left behind. The history and culture of a country can also affect it. Somalia has topped the list for the worst failed state in the world two years in a row!



It’s awful to me to think of how people can just brush over these things and pay no attention. I can’t believe I had never even heard of most of these happenings until now. I feel like such a terrible person! Somalia topping the list is very sad, especially since it’s happened more than once. One of the last statements of the article really stood out to me. “The United States was built out of chaos, out of civil war. And now we expect the rest of the world to adopt our institutions but do it without violence in a short period of time.” Yes, it’s true that we can’t expect that out of a country. But you also need to keep in mind that some of these nations are just a mess, for whatever reasons. It’s not the same circumstance for all countries, and we need to keep that in mind. We need to help them. I can see where geography would play a huge part in failing nations, especially if a full country with little resources was to take on even more people. By watching Hotel Rwanda, I now understand how much varying cultures can destroy a country, so I can see where culture and history can decide this too. It’s all awful, and I can’t believe more attention isn’t being expressed toward these failing nations.





Shattered Somalia

The article talks about how Somalia is badly off. In the article, they met a 18-year-old named Mohammad. Many of his old classmates have joined the Islamic extremist militia, Shabaab. Lots of them have died now because of being part of this terrible group. Ethiopian forces invaded Somalia in late 2006. Lucky people migrate to refugee camps in Kenya, Yemen, or Somaliland. Over a million not-so-lucky people end up in camps for internally displaced persons. There are five principle clans – the Darod, Dir, Isaaq, Hawiye, and Rahanweyn. Somali people are still waiting for the next iteration of government. Loud blasts often go off early in the morning, waking the people and frightening them. In June 2009 forces loyal to the government held 7 of Mogadishu’s 18 districts. The latest fighting (as of this article) killed over 200 people and displaced thousands. The Shabaab reportedly has links to al Qaeda. In Somalia, food is power. Two journalists were taken for random. Somalia is still looking for peace.

I feel really bad for the people of Somalia. I can’t imagine having to live my life in that environment, especially knowing that my country is the worst failed state in the world. It’s awful! All the fighting and killing needs to stop. They can’t expect to get better by getting worse. Obviously nothing has improved if they continue to be the #1 failed state. It was a really neat article that I read. It’s just awful that those two journalists were kidnapped. Why do that to them, they didn’t do anything horrible to you! Leave them alone, they’re not even part of your country! Gosh! But, what can you do really. It doesn’t sound like they’re going to budge much. I’m happy for the people that can get out of the country and find shelter somewhere else. Although that will never be like living a peaceful life in their original home, it’s better than the people who get kidnapped and killed and who knows what else. Somalia needs help, badly!