If it was indeed al Shabaab that trained the Boko Haram militants, then Somalia has become a training center as well as a safe haven for radical Islamist groups. This new role means that al Shabaab is something more than simply an insurgent group; it is also an enabler in al Qaeda’s "far" war against the West and its allies.

Recent attacks by al-Shabab in Uganda and the court hearing of an American charged with trying to join the jihad in Somalia are bad signs that a new transnational terrorist network is taking shape in East Africa, and President Obama has made the problem worse by ordering the killing of the man who could have helped disrupt and destroy the network.

Unless philanthropists insist on market principles in Africa's drug market, and until they apply necessary due diligence when cutting checks, their aid stands to be hijacked by governmental opportunism, incompetence, and corruption.

The drive to combat counterfeit drugs is a good one, but there are problems with Kenya's legislation and the pending legislation in Uganda, which could have serious implications for the importation and production of generic drugs.

The distribution of prescription drugs is a major issue in world politics because the cost of drugs is preventing access to treatment.

The strategy of fighting AIDS in Africa with questionable generic drugs made in developing countries now lies in shambles.

If Kansassenator Sam Brownback is correct, European scaremongering is delaying the re-introduction of DDT into Uganda.