Foreign Policy In Focus

In fact, sequestration will not “gut” our military. Our military budget has nearly doubled since 2001. Sequestration would take it back to the level it was in 2007 — when we were still fighting two wars.

. . . After the longest period of war in our history, we are due for a defense downsizing. Sequestration would create a shallower downsizing than any of the previous postwar periods since World War II. We can do this, and we should. We need the money for other things.

Woods: Well, we have to begin by saying that AFRICOM, the US Africa Command was created under the Bush administration and continued and strengthened under the Obama administration it represents an expanded militarization of US Africa policy. 

It coincides with Africa increasing its significance as a supplier of oil to the United States. AFRICOM stood up in October 2008 just as Africa was actually reaching over 25 percent of the oil input that come to the US from Africa, so Africa was increasing its significance not only for oil, natural gas but for other vital resources so we have seen the steady increase in the militarization. 

. . . Remember back in the days of colonialism where the colonizers look through the resources of Africa to drive their economies but the quest to dominate would often express most directly through military power and military might.