The threat of Islamic militants deploying terror tactics across Southeast Asia is making an unwelcome comeback. Driven in part by the relentless drive into Iraq by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the threat has already emerged in Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines.
The U.S. State Department has blacklisted 23 countries for failing to even try to meet minimum standards in fighting human trafficking
Blacklisted by the State Department are Algeria, Belarus, Belize, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, North Korea, Kuwait, Libya, the Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Russia, South Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Yemen, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
Of the 23 nations that were blacklisted in August of 2015, Algeria makes the list. Of the nations who were blacklisted as failing to meet minimum standards in fighting human trafficking, they are ranked from an economic perspective in the form of "tiers."