Walter Russell Mead on the "War That Nobody Wants"

Take a look.  It begins with a huge salvo of sarcasm:

As everybody knows, there is no such thing as a global war on terror anymore. Instead we live in a harmonious world of interfaith comity with only the occasional criminal act that is quickly and competently handled by law enforcement officials. As a result we can cut our defense budgets and get on with the real business of life, which is to say watching TV, going to the mall and voting to re-elect the strategic geniuses whose wise decisions and firm but thoughtful leadership gave us this tranquil world order.

The 2012 Failed States Index

Mondays suck anyway, so I figured we might as well do this annually depressing survey now instead of later this week. The 2012 Failed States Index is online.  The top 5 are all in Africa.

What Do You Do After You Shoot Bin Laden?

You go to Disneyland.  You go off in a daring raid and rescue American and Danish hostages from Somali pirates.  Kudos!

The Least Corrupt Nation in the World Is ...?

The winner is New Zealand.  The most corrupt?  Take a wild guess, people.  Why, yes, Somalia and North Korea!

Somalia's Former Prime Minister Returns Home... to Buffalo, New York

A fascinating story.  I do hope he writes a book about his experiences.

Schadenfreude Alert: Sometimes Stupidity Is Its Own Punishment

Mwahahahaha! Oh, and Vive la France.