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Africa Horn
In Somalia, Those Who Feed Off Anarchy Fuel It
2007-04-28
From the NYT; another demonstration that the Gray Lady can still report the socks off anyone when she wants to. Towards the end there's an enlightened discussion of how the 'transitional' government blew all the goodwill it had right after the Aethiops helped them regain power.
GALKAYO, Somalia — Beyond clan rivalry and Islamic fervor, an entirely different motive is helping fuel the chaos in Somalia: profit.

A whole class of opportunists — from squatter landlords to teenage gunmen for hire to vendors of out-of-date baby formula — have been feeding off the anarchy in Somalia for so long that they refuse to let go. They do not pay taxes, their businesses are totally unregulated, and they have skills that are not necessarily geared toward a peaceful society.

In the past few weeks, some Western security officials say, these profiteers have been teaming up with clan fighters and radical Islamists to bring down SomaliaÂ’s transitional government, which is the countryÂ’s 14th attempt at organizing a central authority and ending the free-for-all of the past 16 years.
Posted by:Steve White

#3  The Islamists seemed to be the perfect solution for the businessmen. They delivered stability, which was good for most business, but they did not confiscate property or levy heavy taxes. They called themselves an administration, not a government.

“Our best days were under them,” said Abdi Ali Jama, who owns an electrical supply shop in Mogadishu.

You know you're screwed, blued and tattooed if your "best days" were under Islamic rule.

In some areas, displaced people are forced to pay a “shade tax” to local residents for resting under their trees.

Who collects the "sun tax" during winter?
Posted by: Zenster   2007-04-28 21:29  

#2  Qhat?
Posted by: 3dc   2007-04-28 12:40  

#1  It's a libertarian paradise, I tells ya...
Posted by: Pappy   2007-04-28 09:59  

00:00