Throughout decades of military intervention in sub-Saharan Africa, the Sahel, and the Horn, the world has seen that combat solutions don't work. As nations like the US continue to drop bombs — which have killed countless civilians — local recruitment only increases. The West has known this fact since long before 9/11 and the "War on Terror," but, hopefully, this report will finally help bring military intervention to an end and replace it with more humane economic and political programs.
To claim that the US and its Western allies only go to Africa for military exploits is preposterous. The US military provides food aid and disaster relief and supports democracy throughout the continent. Counter-terrorism is a broad term that, when looked at closely, includes all of the non-combat aspects that those opposed to military intervention talk about.