In the aftermath of the terror campaign launched on Sep- tember 11, 2001, the United States declared war against global terror. It identified the al-Qaida organization and Afghanistan under the Taliban regime as the initial targets of the offensive, and Iraq as the next. However, aside from the countries included by President Bush in the -Axis of Evil- (Iraq, Iran, and North Korea), a triangle of countries in the Red Sea region are also potential targets in the war against terror--Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen.

This assessment is based on the historical record: Each of these countries has in...