War in the Horn

Ethiopia is tired of playing around with the Islamic Courts Union, and the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is making some optimistic statements. But Zenawi has been pretty clear about the threat he sees in the Islamists to the East.

"Apparently some people believe that the Al Qaeda elements in Mogadishu ... are people one can talk to in a reasonable manner, that they can be convinced not to be extremists," Mr. Meles said in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press.

The extremists "represent a direct threat first to Somalia and the Somali people , second to the region and Ethiopia, and lastly to the international community," he said. "When they control the whole of Somalia it would be very naive to assume that they will mend their ways, cease to be terrorists and become very civilized and very tame pussycats."

Of course the Los Angeles times is already throwing around the Q Word...

Somalia could be Ethiopia's quagmire

Somalia could be Ethiopia's quagmire and we know who's evil hand lurks behind everything...

In Somalia, a reckless U.S. proxy war