Western leaders have said they do not want to see the further dismemberment of the remnants of Yugoslavia into a collection of small ethnic states with limited economic prospects and no history of self-government.

The end of the 19th century saw the dismemberment of most of the Muslim Ottoman Empire by non-Muslim European colonial powers.

The same period also saw the further dismemberment and weakening of the once powerful Opsician Theme with the creation of the Bucellarian Theme.

Despite the relentless push for an international recognition by the hardcore secessionists, the bottom line is that nobody wants to see the fragmentation, mutilation and the dismemberment of Somali state along tribal fiefdoms.