February 21, 2020
America's Africa Enigma: Why U.S. Troops are Taking Unnecessary Risks
Africa doesn’t matter militarily to America. No doubt, a “secure and stable†Africa would be welcome and thus an “interest,†but it is not an important one. Nor is it attainable, at least at a reasonable cost.
by Doug Bandow Follow Doug_Bandow on Twitter L
For Washington’s foreign policy establishment, no nation is too unimportant to be considered vital to America’s security. No territory is too insignificant for the United States to dominate. No spot on earth is too distant to station an American soldier. How else to judge the hysterical criticism of the Trump administration’s proposed military drawdown in Africa?
Despite the fiscal crisis, strategic overreach, endless war, and political division, “the Blob,†as Washington’s foreign policy community is known, refuses to consider a world where Uncle Sam does not treat every region and nation as his personal sphere of interest. Washington is determined to protect more than a score of rich allies in Europe, multiple wealthy clients in Asia, and a gaggle of Middle Eastern nations.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/americas-africa-enigma-why-us-troops-are-taking-unnecessary-risks-126031
