Includes bibliographical references (pages 383-393) and index.

Part 1. Living on the line. An African Stalingrad : the war against al-Shabaab ; At the Bancroft Hotel : America's proxy war ; The field hospital : what bombs and bullets do to people ; Aden's story ; The failure of Somali politics ; What makes al-Shabaab tick? ; The famine -- Part 2. Nomads' land. In the court of King Farole ; Galkacyo : Pirateville ; Hargeisa nights ; How to start a border war -- Part 3. The diaspora. The Somali youth time-bomb ; The missing of Minneapolis ; 'Clanism is a disease like AIDS' ; Operation Linda Nchi : the end for al-Shabaab?

This is an authoritative account of the Somali region, its history, and the story of the Islamic extremists operating there today cites the high human cost of the region's clan-based civil war while explaining how current activities are directly threatening world security.

Subtitle from dust jacket.