Confessions of a News Junkie

The city of Hargeysa is a rare faction of peace in Somalia. Somalia has been unable to sustain a stable government since the central political system collapsed in 1991, resulting in 16 years of interim presidents and frequent violence between various national clans. Hargeysa rests in the Republic of Somaliland, which became independent of the country in 1991, but without international recognition as a separate country. Perhaps the exclusive nature of Somaliland has contributed to the State's social and political success. In other words, in absence of international interventions, Somaliland has empowered a diverse population of warlords, distinct tribal members, farmers, and politicians. The groups unified in order to gain Independence from Somalia. The government systematically removed weapons from the population, including the militias.
While Somalia has been endowed with hundreds of millions of dollars for peacekeeping assistance since 1991, the striking success of peace in Somaliland is that it has received no international aid.
Arguably the simplicity of regional politics and society can facilitate the localization of community needs, which results in attainable initiatives relative to population dynamics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/world/africa/07somaliland.html

*** The following article demonstrates the importance of localizing policy and reform in Iraq and Afghanistan. The author's argument compliments the evidence of advancing peace sans UN, Nato or US intervention.
http://select.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/opinion/07stewart.html