Although the war in Afghanistan is now in its endgame, the West's struggle to eliminate the threat from Al Qaeda is far from over. A decade after 9/11, the war on terror has entered a new phase and, it would seem, a new territory. In early 2010, Al Qaeda operatives were reportedly "streaming" out of central Asia toward Somalia and the surrounding region. Somalia, now home to some of the world's most dangerous terrorists, was already the world's most failed state. Two decades of anarchy have spawned not just Islamic extremism but piracy, famine, and a seemingly endless clan-based civil war that has killed an estimated 500,000, turned millions into refugees, and caused hundreds of thousands more to flee and settle in Europe and North America. What is now happening in Somalia directly threatens the security of the world, possibly more than any other region on earth. James Fergusson's book is the first accessible account of how Somalia became the world's most dangerous place and what we can-and should-do about it.

Kirkus Reviews, 5/1/13 "An intrepid journalist investigates the civil war, foreign interventions and mass starvation of Somalia...A compelling example of investigative reporting." TrulyArts.com, 4/25/13 "Fergusson deftly supplies some history and leads us on a tour of this hotbed of strife and turmoil." Booklist, 5/15/13 "[A] shocking and disturbing survey of the ravaged nation of Somalia...This is a sobering but necessary examination of the process of national disintegration." The Economist, 6/8/13 "Essential reading for those who seek to counter the menace...readable work. With ingenuity and no little courage he has travelled far and wide, within Somalia and among the Somali diaspora in Britain and America, delving into the soul of a ravaged community." PublishersWeekly.com, 6/24/13, starred review "[A] riveting narrative about strife-riddled Somalia...[An] invaluable work" Foreign Affairs, Sept/Oct 2013 "Exceptional...Fergusson vividly recounts the grotesque horrors of the endless war in Somalia."

James Fergusson is a freelance journalist and foreign correspondent who has written for many publications, including The Times of London and The Economist. He is the author of Taliban: The Unknown Enemy and the award-winning A Million Bullets. He lives in Edinburgh.