An open letter to Uncle Sam: America, pray leave Somalia to its own devices

Abstract

The al-Qaeda-linked Somali insurgent group al-Shabaab has raised alarm in the United States. The proliferation of Somali piracy, too, has US foreign policymakers concerned. This open letter to ?Uncle Sam? makes a straightforward case: with the pirates, America should mete out collective punishment; with the terrorists, it should do nothing.