Re "Mali deserves more than military response" (Forum, Feb. 10): Pia Lopez highlights what is wrong with U.S. policy: seeking to solve conflicts by wielding the enormous American military hammer.
Presently, the White House is pondering a new Authorization for Use of Military Force in African countries in turmoil. This would be another open door for military strikes and weapons transfers without a national debate and a formal declaration of war by Congress.
War hawks ignore the long-term harm to world security in urging direct interventions in situations like Mali and Syria, and military action against Iran and North Korea. What's next -
We and the whole world would benefit if, instead of funding a bloated military, we invested in economic initiatives to lift people out of poverty, which is the root of most of the conflict in the world, and even here in America.
-- Winnie Kaneshiro, Sacramento
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