And now the entire region is threatened because of radical extremists who have taken root in Somalia, taking advantage of what they perceive to be a failing state, to use that as a base to launch attacks, most recently in Uganda.
We will long debate whether at a very important moment in our efforts to root out terrorism particularly in Afghanistan and on that border region with Pakistan, whether we took our eye off the ball.
While its influence on big-ticket issues in the region is declining, the U.S. has redoubled efforts to tackle their root causes, such as poverty, hunger and disenfranchisement of women.