Jamaica: State under pressure from non-state actors

Jamaica is a most recent addition to the list of states experiencing open, violent confrontation with centers of power outside the state. In this case Jamaican military and police are attacking a Kingston slum in the current prime minister's electoral district, allegedly controlled by drug lords with ties to the ruling Labor party. Public-private partnership gone wrong?

Here's what AlJazeera says in a report from today.

Prime minister Bruce Golding "went on television to address the nation. He said the gunmen were making 'a calculated assault on the authority of the state that cannot be tolerated and will not be allowed to continue. The criminal element who have placed society under siege will not be allowed to triumph.'" (from The Guardian)

What happens if representatives of the state can't make good on the state's basic promises?

Mini-states outperform the big dogs

So says Time.com in Most Competitive Nation? Hong Kong, Singapore Beat U.S.

Why not create more Hong Kongs and Singapores?

Look how well the UAE has done - the distance they've come since the 1980s - despite significant impact due to the global credit crisis. Consider the Dubai International Financial Center: they've created a world class legal and regulatory environment within the UAE's already-favorable business and tax structure.

They are deliberately competing with full-service financial centers like Hong Kong, New York and London "unlike 'offshore' tax havens" (from their website).

The proprietors of the DIFC are legal system/environmental entrepreneurs. The DIFC's courts website has a customer-service tone is unlike anything I'd expect given my limited experience observing in Pennsylania and Federal courts, or given my citizen-level interactions with a variety of government officials. I'd love to hear from anyone who has actual experience doing business in the DIFC or who can give a first-hand impression of the DIFC legal environment.