Violence in Libya continues today, coinciding with a heated political confrontation between Muammar Gaddafi’s regime and the rebel leadership, the Libyan Transitional National Council. The Council has rejected the Libyan regime’s proposal that one of Gaddafi’s sons assume power during a transitional phase. They received an additional boost as Italy announced that it officially recognizes the Transitional National Council as the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people. Al-Jazeera reports that Gaddafi’s regime seems to be looking for an exit strategy after being isolated by the international community and experiencing increasing internal pressure from the revolutionaries. 

The BBC reports that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is attempting to implement immediate reforms in light of ongoing protests and the dozens of deaths resulting from the security forces' crackdown on demonstrators. President Assad said he would appoint a new governor of Dara'a, the southern state where tensions have been the highest. Prime Minister Adel Safar has been told to form a new government, following the resignation of Naji al-Otari's administration. Safar is affiliated with the ruling Baath Party and his appointment spawned large-scale protests.

Dubai TV is reporting from Yemen, where ongoing clashes between the Yemeni authorities and protestors have left several dead and many injured. As the violence in Yemen escalates, the US, which has long supported President Ali Abdullah Saleh, has quietly shifted its position and said Saleh should be eased out of office.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has decided to hold talks with the Yemeni government and opposition leaders in an attempt to solve the escalating crisis in the country. Nile TV reports that the Council's foreign ministers have accused Iran of conspiring against the region’s countries and of interfering in their affairs by fueling sedition and religious division among their citizens.

New TV features a profile on Ali Shariati, a “philosopher and teacher of the Islamic Revolution.” While he inspired revolutionaries across Iran, he spent much of his life either in exile or in prison and was considered an infidel in Iran because of his criticisms of the authority of religious leaders and their distortion of holy texts.

Somalia has not had an effective government for almost 20 years. The Somali government has struggled to gain relevancy, but it has been plagued by corruption and has been battling warlords and militant groups such as the al-Qaeda- linked al-Shabab.

This week Augustine Mahiga, the U.N.'s top envoy for Somalia, warned that more international peacekeepers are needed in the war-ravaged country because of the growing threat from insurgent groups. He also told the Security Council that he is concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Somalia and its potential impact on the entire region.

"The threat level in Mogadishu and southern-central Somalia has actually increased, therefore, IGAD and the African Union foresee a new AMISOM troop level of up to 20,000 in the coming months. The African Union Peace and Security Council will soon submit to the U.N. Security Council a request for authorization for increased troop levels for Mogadishu and other strategic locations in Somalia," Mahiga said.

Recently, al-Shabab fighters disguised in Somali military uniforms stormed a hotel favored by lawmakers in the capital Mogadishu, firing indiscriminately and killing 32 people, including six parliamentarians. The attack came after a warning was issued by al-Shabab that a new “massive war” is about to be launched against the government. The militant group wants to establish a Taliban-style Islamic Sharia law in the country.

In a similar attack in December 2009, a suicide bomber detonated himself at a university graduation ceremony about 1.5 miles from the recent hotel attack, killing 24 people, including three government ministers, medical students and doctors.

These attacks show that al-Shabab, which controls wide areas of Somalia, can penetrate even the few blocks of the capital under the control of the government and African Union troops. The situation is reminiscent of Afghanistan before the entire country was overrun by the Taliban.

Is Somalia the next Afghanistan?

The current situation in Somalia is eerily similar to Afghanistan in the 1990s, which was in total disarray, with no central government or functioning economy. Warlords battled freely over territorial pockets and small weapons were plentiful. Yet , very little news coverage has been provided in the West about the dangerous situation in Somalia today. The coverage has been sporadic, only making headlines when Somali pirates have attacked freighters and tankers.

I attribute the lack of the United States’ interest in Somalia to its raid there in 1993, when 18 soldiers and two Black Hawk helicopters were lost. At the time, U.S. troops were in Somalia to try to capture powerful Somali warlord Mohammed Aidid from his stronghold in Mogadishu and take him to a ship anchored off the nearby coast. This operation is often remembered as a tragic fiasco. Millions of Americans still remember watching the body of a dead U.S. soldier being dragged through the streets on television. This tragic incident and the U.S. involvement in two wars, Afghanistan and Iraq, is enough reason for many Capitol Hill politicians to avoid US engagement in the war-torn country. Yet, it’s only a matter of time before al-Shabab takes over the capital and establishes a Taliban-like government, imposing its rule throughout the land.

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Global Pulse producer Evelyn Messinger writes about women and the Taliban in Pakistan for the Huffington Post. Last week's episode focused on the various attitudes on-the-ground towards the Taliban's enforced version of Sharia Law.

Mosaic producer Jamal Dajani also covers Middle Eastern news and issues for the online publication. You can read his regular blog at the Huffington Post.

As the waves of the financial meltdown pound banks and governments, the human cost is easily lost in the background. From layoffs to shattered dreams, the global crisis becomes a personal crisis. Do we really see how deeply it reaches into the global community?

SOURCES: Al Jazeera English, Qatar; CNN, U.S.; Deutsche Welle, Germany; South Asia Newsline, India; Russia Today, Russia; KBS, South Korea.