Places I Will Go When I Rule the World and All Is Safe…

… or I join the Marines and it’s not. Whichever comes never.

Foreign Policy magazine has a feature on the Top Tourists Spots Americans Can’t Visit. It seems to be in preparation for July 4, possibly since the reason we can’t visit is the decided lack of law/order/safety/freedom of the territorial government.

The list includes:

• Mount Kumgang, Kumgangsan, North Korea
• Baracoa, Cuba
• The beaches of Mogadishu, Somalia
• Persepolis, Iran
• Mandalay, Burma

Of the five, only Mogadishu and Persepolis are must-sees for me. I think Persepolis might eventually be possible with a new president, but Mogadishu may take a while. I’m not exactly faint hearted about travel, but FP’s explanation as to why not to go is compelling:

Because a good day in Somalia is the worst day of your life almost anywhere else…. The U.S. government does not maintain any consular presence in Mogadishu, so an American in trouble is likely to stay there. Most troubling is the fact that with little recognized, governing authority in Somalia, simply identifying which of the seemingly endless string of warlords and criminals has just kidnapped you is an important first step in negotiating your release.

I wonder why Cowen and Blattman didn’t include advice for getting to know your kidnapper….