Police officers seal off a street in Croydon, south London, Britain, Aug. 9, 2011. [Xinhua]

When celebrated African American writer James Baldwin wrote his epic piece "The Fire Next Time" in 1963, he was pummeled for suggesting that race relations in America will continue to be violent as long as society remained racially divided. But nearly five decades later, Baldwin's words still ring true. Yes, America has a black president, but every now and then, the world is reminded that racism is still very much alive in America.

Fires there will always be. Thing is, though, you never know when or where to expect them.

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? UK Riots: No easy way out ? London's burning

The most recent violent crises to hit world capitals were neither planned nor predicted. Arab monarchs never dreamed a day would come when teenagers would lead regime-changing uprisings using mobile phones and social networks.

Similarly, as European and American leaders gleefully praised the chaos, none ever entertained the idea that the same could happen in London. But it did.

The worst disorder to hit the streets of Britain in living memory saw over 4,000 crimes reported over four nights, leaving the nation as much in "shock and awe" as the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington D.C.

The outburst was sparked by the death of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black father of three, who was shot by London police under admittedly "suspicious circumstances" in a community historically racked by racial animosity. Outrage over the death resulted in successive nights of rioting, looting and mayhem that left outnumbered police paralyzed and the nation bewildered.

British Prime Minister David Cameron described the UK's latest urban explosion as "criminality, plain and simple" and deployed 16,000 police – six times the regular number – turning the British capital into a virtual police state.

When the smoke cleared and streets emptied, over US$400 million damage had been done to businesses, over 1,500 persons had been arrested and courts were working night and day to process a flood of cases. Over half of those prosecuted were less than 18 years old. Twenty-two were arrested for inciting disorder through social networks.

Government and community leaders in Britain disagree as to the root of the problem. The government blamed "criminals," but community voices say undercurrents for protest have long existed in the affected communities.

The neighborhoods burned and looted in London and other British cities have long shared some common denominators: most are largely poor, home to large immigrant populations and people who feel largely marginalized. The last two decades have been previous race riots in some of the very same places. Analysts say the root causes have been glossed over by a blanket of short-term reforms aimed at quickly pacifying the rebellions.