THE FAILED STATES OF THE EAST AFRICA

The aim of this paper is to asses the growing threat to the US interests, represented by the spread of militant Islamism and radical Islamist networks in East Africa. Equally important, these trends will be placed in the wider context of various Islamic current practice in the region and also factors of social and economic policies that have shaped the security environment in East Africa. Moreover, the work examines the complex ethno-religious landscape in East Africa and East African environmental characteristics that have contributed to the development of extremist groups.The presence of Islamic extremists in East Africa results from several environmental features of the region: poor governance and crisis, alternative power centers, the prevalence of the informal economy, porous borders, wide access to illegal weapons and the proximity to the Arabian Peninsula.