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Failed?

"Pirates from the failed African state of Somalia have attacked at least 61 ships in and around the Gulf of Aden this year, 17 of them in the first two weeks of September alone, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center in Malaysia."

So reads a sentence in a report posted on http://www.mareeg.com/ (read the full report here).

"Failed African State"... and since when has there been a Book of Rules Defining a Successful State and a Failed State? Since when do we have standards by which every country must prosper? Since when do we define "failed" as being in a situation of flux, or political or economic instability? Since when does having borders, a capital and a functioning government still mean that you may be a "failed state"?

Since when? I'm serious. I'd like to know, because apparently, I missed that boat.

If you claim to be a journalist on the internet, or if you claim to be a journalist anywhere for that matter, the least you can do is provide an objective perspective in your articles. I don't care about your thoughts, or the thoughts of people you work with. At the end of the day, your news gets out to other people who may not be able to tell between apples and oranges, let alone "successful" states from "failed" ones.

Bottom line: Don't write about what you don't know. And if you do, make an effort to represent the 9.5 million or more people that live in Somalia justly by learning about the country before making a fool out of yourself.

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