The US military's catastrophic failure in Africa is now on the chopping block as part of a broader reorganization aimed at shifting American power projection towards the Western Hemisphere. The Trump administration's National Security Strategy has effectively nullified decades of US involvement in counterterrorism efforts across the continent, with disastrous consequences.
The strategy's "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine has become nothing more than a license for America to do exactly what Europe was supposed to avoid: impose its military might on other nations. The US now plans to downgrade several key overseas combatant commands and curtail the power of their commanders, effectively gutting its ability to respond to emerging crises in Africa.
This decision comes on the heels of a dismal record in Africa, marked by catastrophic counterterrorism failures, destabilizing blowback from US operations, humanitarian disasters, failed secret wars, coups by US trainees, human rights abuses, massacres, and executions of civilians. The number of fatalities linked to militant Islamist violence has skyrocketed nearly 100,000 percent over two decades, with Somalia and the Sahel regions bearing the brunt.
Critics argue that this reorganization is a repeat of past failures, as the US military's "war on terror" model only serves to intensify the spiral of violence in Africa. The expansion of militant Islamist violence in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger has resulted in an increased number of attacks along and beyond the borders of coastal West African countries.
The US has been at war in Somalia for nearly a quarter-century, with airstrikes skyrocketing under Trump's presidency. Yet, despite this extensive involvement, the situation on the ground remains dire, with al-Shabab militants pushing within 32 miles of Mogadishu, the capital city.
Experts warn that reconfiguring American military posture and shifting interventions to the Western Hemisphere will only lead to more setbacks, stalemates, and failures. The experience in West Africa holds an essential lesson for US actions in the region: waging war against "narco-terrorists" will cost many human lives and taxpayer dollars, with no strategic benefit.
As the US increasingly turns its attention to the Western Hemisphere, it is likely to reproduce the same outcomes for the same reasons. The Intercept's editor-in-chief, Ben Messig, notes that this is a devastating year for journalism, with corporate news outlets having cowered in the face of Trump's assault on truth and media consolidation paving the way for a post-truth America.
To continue its fight against authoritarianism and defend democracy, The Intercept needs to grow. That's where you come in – will you help us expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026?
The strategy's "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine has become nothing more than a license for America to do exactly what Europe was supposed to avoid: impose its military might on other nations. The US now plans to downgrade several key overseas combatant commands and curtail the power of their commanders, effectively gutting its ability to respond to emerging crises in Africa.
This decision comes on the heels of a dismal record in Africa, marked by catastrophic counterterrorism failures, destabilizing blowback from US operations, humanitarian disasters, failed secret wars, coups by US trainees, human rights abuses, massacres, and executions of civilians. The number of fatalities linked to militant Islamist violence has skyrocketed nearly 100,000 percent over two decades, with Somalia and the Sahel regions bearing the brunt.
Critics argue that this reorganization is a repeat of past failures, as the US military's "war on terror" model only serves to intensify the spiral of violence in Africa. The expansion of militant Islamist violence in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger has resulted in an increased number of attacks along and beyond the borders of coastal West African countries.
The US has been at war in Somalia for nearly a quarter-century, with airstrikes skyrocketing under Trump's presidency. Yet, despite this extensive involvement, the situation on the ground remains dire, with al-Shabab militants pushing within 32 miles of Mogadishu, the capital city.
Experts warn that reconfiguring American military posture and shifting interventions to the Western Hemisphere will only lead to more setbacks, stalemates, and failures. The experience in West Africa holds an essential lesson for US actions in the region: waging war against "narco-terrorists" will cost many human lives and taxpayer dollars, with no strategic benefit.
As the US increasingly turns its attention to the Western Hemisphere, it is likely to reproduce the same outcomes for the same reasons. The Intercept's editor-in-chief, Ben Messig, notes that this is a devastating year for journalism, with corporate news outlets having cowered in the face of Trump's assault on truth and media consolidation paving the way for a post-truth America.
To continue its fight against authoritarianism and defend democracy, The Intercept needs to grow. That's where you come in – will you help us expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026?
now they're just going to cut and run? it's not like it's a complex issue or anything... they got in over their heads with "narco-terrorists" and now they're blaming the situation on them? poor planning, folks. and btw, who thought it was a good idea to downsize their military presence in africa just as things are about to get worse? 
like what is going on with the US military in Africa?? 
they're basically gonna get outta there and shift focus to Western Hemisphere 
which just means more instability and violence 
I mean, they already had some major fails in Somalia and Sahel regions, so it's not like this is a new thing... but still, gotta wonder what's next for US foreign policy 
this is so worrying i mean africa is already dealing with enough issues without the US military just pulling out and leaving them high & dry its like they're just gonna leave all these people to fend for themselves and hope everything works out magically 
also whats the point of shifting power projection to the western hemisphere are we just gonna start a new war in south america or somethin 
. And don't even get me started on this "post-truth America" thing, sounds like a bunch of propaganda to me 
. The Intercept's trying to grow its reporting capacity but I'm not holding my breath, what if it's just a way for them to expand their reach and control? 
. the us needs to rethink its strategy and focus on buildin relationships with the african countries instead of just tryin to control things from afar 
. this is all about causin more problems than it solves...
they think a few pullouts are gonna fix everything but history shows we're making things worse, more people dying every day. This isn't about being "good" or "bad" it's about the cycle of violence and no one seems to care about that anymore 
I mean, Somalia's been a war zone for like 25 years now and they still haven't got it figured out. It's time for the US to rethink its approach to counterterrorism and focus on building more lasting solutions that don't involve more boots on the ground or drone strikes galore 
i mean i get it america's power projection thing but come on can't they just stick to one continent for once lol and btw whats up with the trump corollary tho? sounds like a recipe for disaster 
and now they're gonna cut their losses 
it's all about playing it safe, but when does that work out for anyone? 
I'm still shaking my head about this whole US Africa thing. They just can't seem to get it right, huh? 
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It seems like the US is stuck in some kind of military-industrial complex loop where they're too scared to admit failure 
. We've seen what happens when you try to bomb your way out of problems 
I mean who makes this stuff up? It feels like just another way for Trump to flex his military muscles without actually accomplishing anything 
. I mean, who needs all those dead bodies in Somalia when we've got problems here at home? It's a classic case of "out of sight, out of mind" politics. The fact that the Trump administration's strategy has led to catastrophic failures is just a bonus for anyone who thinks the US should prioritize its own interests over the rest of the world. And let's be real, it's not like Europe isn't already doing what they think is best – now America gets to play catch-up 
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