To be anonymous

I have often wondered what I would say if I could say something without my name being attached to my comments, I’m still not sure. But I would certainly request anonymity if I said this:

“The similarity between Yemen and Somalia is that they are tribal societies, they have conservative social norms, and they have both had weak states unable to provide services to the people,” says one Horn of Africa expert, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Al Qaeda embeds itself into conflict societies. They build ties with tribal elders. They build schools. They provide social services, like Hamas [the Palestinian militant group] does. They buy loyalty, they get legitimacy, and once clans make friends with someone like this, you don’t give them up. Getting them out will be like finding a needle in a haystack.”

The quote comes from this Christian Science Monitor report.