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Somalia's Chance

AN UNEXPECTED turn of events in Somalia has given the Bush administration a rare opportunity to help stabilize a failed state that has been a harbor and breeding ground for al-Qaeda. In less than two weeks of fighting, troops from neighboring Ethiopia appear to have decimated the Islamic Courts movement, which had controlled most of the southern half of Somalia during the past six months. Foreign jihadists, including some al-Qaeda members, have fled the capital, while many of their Somali allies have melted back into the population. A U.N.-sanctioned transitional government has taken up residence in Mogadishu, marking the first time the country has had a recognized and unchallenged government since 1991....