The United States military has a tendency to park itself in a country and not budge even after its presence has proven catastrophic or the government of the country has demanded it leave. Well, here is some good news. Daphne Psaledakis at Reuters reported Friday that the US military will be leaving Niger, just over a month after the new government of the country demanded that action.
As I wrote in August of 2018, the presence of US troops in Niger, first brought to many Americans’ attention the year before when several US Special Forces troops were killed there, has been part of an increasing US military focus on Africa. While the US government appears set to have its military exit Niger, there is no indication of a larger planned exit from the continent.
The US military leaving Niger is a good start. How about also exiting from other countries such as Iraq and Syria whose governments have long demanded the US military leave, as well as ending decades long US military presences in countries including Germany, Japan, and South Korea? At a high economic cost, the US military in these countries does nothing to defend America. To the contrary, these troops abroad serve as tripwires to potentially ensnare the US into conflicts that otherwise would be none of its business. They also continually tempt politicians and military leaders who start thinking that as long as these troops are strung out across the globe they might as well be put to use — be employed to intimidate, kill, maim, and destroy.
