[mauricemir]

I did read most of the Major Icelandic saga's at school the primary sources and not wikipedia.

and your seriously sugesting that a failed state like Somalia is a good model for civil society.

I used to work for the Uk office of a major Lebanese company and lets say I did not ask to many Q about how we got a kidnapped guy back from beruit - probably some one said well give him back or we have or mates in the phalange make your locality be the next shatilla massacre

[praxeologist]

Failed state? More like failed UN insurgency and failed propping up government the people don't want going on 20+ years. Anarchy reigns outside of the warzone. Past Galkayo there is quite a lot of peace relative to Mogadishu. Even before Barre's regime failed it is estimated that 80-90% of any state court orders were ignored in preference of Xeer customary law. You don't know the situation here if you can distill it to "failed state" and "warlords".

Who cares you read sagas or whatever about a Lebanese kidnapping?

[mauricemir]

If we are talking about Iceland then reading the primary historical sources has some value no?

And that fact the my then employer had enough pull with some very scary people to get a kidnap victim released from beruit doesn't make you think.