Palestinians in Gaza nearing civil war "With the violence, the streets of Gazan cities were once again empty of pedestrians and cars. People ventured out to buy food, but only if the markets were in or next to their buildings, and parents fretted that their children might be missing key exams." Internal disintegration One of the main problems in the Middle East is the large (excess) number of young men with time on their hands. See also: Anti-Syrian MP mourned in Lebanon .

Europe's Invisible Illegals "What's unquestionably real are the numbers: Pakistanis and other South Asian Muslims are entering Europe at record levels. The reasons are many, and cumulative. Driven by poverty at home and sometimes by political oppression, they are drawn to the Continent by the prospect of jobs and freedom and the safe harbor offered by established Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities." "Barbarian" invasion Irrespective of the profound differences between the Roman Empire and the Europe of today, there are structural similarities between the mass migration then and now. While levels of cohesion at the communal level may be higher amongst immigrants, this should not distract us from the fact that their home countries are generally - and perhaps not unlike the Germanic tribes in Roman times - facing much more serious problems having to do with state break-up, economic hardship and crime than the West itself. The bottom line: The adjective "barbarian" is used by us in quotation marks to denote this said differential and not intended as a dismissive remark against non-western civilisations.

US warns Turkey not to invade Iraq "There is an intense internal debate in Turkey about whether Ankara should push across the border to root out guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), based inside the Kurdish autonomous region of northern Iraq." International disintegration ahead? Large sections of the Middle East are rapidly plunging into conditions which can be desribed as the shallow-waters of a dark age. They are characterised by the absence of a complex economy, the inexistence of an efficient and strong central government and by continual warring between different societal factions. Despite the presence of mobile phones and Mercedes cars in the streets, the larger societal current seems to be shifting into the direction of more simple and violent mode of coexistence. See also: "Spengler's" analysis of Iran's dire economic situation (Asia Times online)

Student debts break £3 billion "The figures cast a shadow on the thousands of A-level entrants hoping to start university in the autumn. By the time they graduate, they will face debts of about £30,000, which most will still be paying off into their mid-thirties." Internal disorganisation Life becoming harder. See also: House prices 'will soar to ten times salaries'

Teenagers feel strain of being French "Three successive studies of around 15,000 children reveal that, among young people aged from 12 to 18, 9 per cent of boys and 22 per cent of girls show signs of depression and anxiety - three times the total in 1993...Stress at school or at home is also increasingly leading to binge-drinking in France.." Internal discohesion taking its toll? At any rate, not the signs of a healthy society.

U.S. warship can't stop pirates off Somalia "Saturday's incident underscores growing U.S. military involvement in the Horn of Africa, not just against suspected al Qaeda targets but also against an increasingly violent pirate trade waters off Somalia's coast." International integration or disintegration? Which way will the tide turn?

Gangs of Iraq: military quietly enlisting thousands of active gang members "According to a Chicago Sun-Times article last year, Gangster Disciple graffiti has been spotted all over Iraq. The gang’s initials and main symbol, the six-pointed star, have been tagged on concrete blast barriers, armored vehicles, and even remote firebase guard shacks." Internal discohesion The militaries of the developed world will not escape the process which is moving western societies towards a dark age. The hiring of mercenaries and declining loyalty towards the army are indications that cohesion is diminishing, which in turn doesn't bode well for the army's efficiency at performing its mission.

In Vermont, nascent secession movement gains traction "Disillusioned by what they call an empire about to fall, a small cadre of writers and academics hopes to...persuade state lawmakers to declare independence, returning Vermont to the status it held from 1777 to 1791." Internal disintegration ahead? We believe that economic difficulties will at some point significantly reinforce what today are comparatively feeble sentiments of discontent with the central government in western societies.

Seven new laws for every day of Blair as PM "The legislatively hyperactive Blair premiership has seen an average of 2,685 new laws introduced each year - a 22 per cent increase on the previous decade under the Tories." Internal disorganisation The problem is not a new one and by no means confined to Mr Blair's period in office. Rather, governments of all political hues have produced, in varying degrees, the same result - "big government". For centuries now, bureaucracies in the West have been growing faster than the respective populations. No measure whatsoever has been able to stop this process and economic productivity inevitably suffers. There is no doubt that some point of reckonning lies ahead in the future. The longer it will be postponed the more severe the eventual crisis of confidence will be, when the gap between capabilities and amibitions has been exposed.

Attacks on U.S. Troops in Iraq Grow in Lethality, Complexity "U.S. deaths have risen sharply in some of Baghdad's outlying regions, such as Diyala province, where Sunni and Shiite groups have escalated sectarian violence and fought back hard against American forces moving into their safe havens." Intern(ation)al disintegration Iraq can be viewed as a test of the resolve of the world's mightiest nation. Should the US eventually fail to provide a meaningful degree of stability in Iraq, then this can be taken as an indication that we are moving in the direction of a more disorderly world.

Murders, robberies drive up U.S. violent crime rate "More murders and robberies in 2006 sent U.S. violent crimes higher for the second straight year, the FBI said on Monday, with the increase blamed on gangs, youth violence, gun crimes and fewer police on beats." Internal disintegration Crime statistics tend to be rather unreliable. Still, the news is all the more sobbering in view of the fact that the US holds one of the world's largest prison populations.

Thai bomb blast kills 11 soldiers "The attack is one of the worst in the region in recent years. Another seven people were killed in a separate incident in Songkhla province, when gunmen fired at local Muslims at a mosque, reports say." Internal disintegration Low intensity conflict rearing its ugly head. More LIC news: Policemen die in 'rebel' attack...'Casualties' in Sri Lanka clashes...More killed in Rajasthan violence...Suicide blast kills Turk soldiers

Grenade attack on Somali convoy...Pirates 'kill' hostage in Somalia...Six Russians kidnapped in Nigeria Internal disintegration African dark age

Politicians Call For Crackdown on Violent G-8 Protesters "Police said that more than 2,000 violent extremists took part in the protests and admitted that the number of officers on the ground was not enough to cope with such large numbers of rioters." Internal disintegration

Cold forces Argentine energy cuts "Argentina has been rationing gas supplies as cold weather blamed for some 17 deaths continues to strain the country's energy system...The strain on the country's energy infrastructure was exacerbated by technical problems at two nuclear power stations." A bit of internal disorganisation ocurring here. We expect more such news for other Western nations as investment investment in infrastructure will become insufficient.