The global changes of the early 1990s, resulting from the end of the Cold War, initially appeared to present unparalleled opportunities to advance the West’s agenda of widespread liberal democracy. Thirty-five years later it is clear that it is unrealistic to hope that liberal peace and progress can be extended to the entire world - conflicts will continue in areas where states are weak. However, local and hybrid approaches do offer new perspectives and new opportunities but are no panacea, and, definitely, they do not deliver liberal aims under other guises. By examining what went wrong in liberal intervention in Somalia we can start to learn how to avoid making the same mistakes again.