Compounding the Iraq war debacle, the Bush Administration is off and running squandering more lives and US tax money on ill-fated adventures in Somalia. During the cold war all military action was justified in containing the dreaded ‘red menace’. Currently all military action is justified in neutralizing the Al-Qaeda menace even where none exists. In a ‘copy cat’ version of our Iraq war, Ethiopian troops attacked a sovereign state - Somalia – with US supplied weapons and air support – incomplete violation of international law. There have been disturbing reports that US Special Forces were heavily engaged in the operations. Five US warships, including the giant USS Eisenhower, are moored off the coastal waters of Somalia. Scores of innocent civilians have been killed by AC-130 Lockheed gunships - monstrous machines capable of firing thousands of rounds a minute.

This action will undoubtedly radicalize Islam and intensify anger towards the US. The US backed former war lords have now displaced the democratically elected government of Somalia. Thus, this fait accompli has ‘liberated’ the people of Somalia. A former US marine (Hussein Aided) has now been ensconced as the “deputy prime minister”! All who resist this illegal invasion have been dubbed “insurgents”. This is yet another example of ‘how to make enemies and lose friends’, for which the Bush Administration are the undisputed masters.