Somalia is a fascinating country, and you paint a wonderful portrait of Mogadishu, its capital (“Commerce amid Chaos,” February 12, 2011). Without a central bank, deals are done in Somali shillings, a currency kept afloat by common consent. Without a government worth talking about, contracts are hard to enforce, which means that firms must spend about ten percent of their earnings on security—that is, gunmen. The nine mobile-phone operators in Mogadishu offer cheap calls because there are no taxes, and sales of mobile phones are therefore brisk. Although some forty percent of Somalis cannot survive without foreign aid, the most lucrative import is qat, a stimulating leaf chewed by Somali men, which arrives on small planes from Kenya and Ethiopia. Etc. Fascinating, indeed. If only economists would study Somalia with due care, many an important lesson about institutions we consider essential for commerce would emerge. Chances are that the fear of chaos is overblown.