Somalia was an artificial colonial construct and had no depth of state formation. Although supposedly homogenous, its clan families operate as independent entities and the reality of any Somali commitment to a single state must be questioned. Under the stresses of military defeat against Ethiopia, and a failed socialist revolution, and the resurrection of «clanism», it fell apart in the late 1980s. Subsequent international efforts to rebuild the state of Somalia have failed because the international community has ignored the realities of Somalia clan politics. The only area to succeed in restoring political structures is Somaliland, basing itself upon one particular clan family; its attempts have rejected internationally, despite having provided a clear, and successful, model for the rest of Somalia.