Headline Oct. 29/ ''' AMERICA'S FOREVER WARS '''

''' AMERICA'S FOREVER WARS '''

WASHINGTON : CLASHES THIS MONTH between elements of the Iraqi security and Kurdish fighters around Kirkuk are deeply-

Deeply troubling in particularly because of the United States longstanding friendship with the Kurdish people.

These clashes are also emblematic of a broader, more troubling reality: Beyond America's tactical successes in the fight against the Islamic State, the Unites States is still dangerously lacking-

*A comprehensive strategy toward the rest of the Middle East in all of its complexity*,.......... reasons and writes John McCain. 

THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN AT WAR CONTINUOUSLY...... since the attacks of  9/11 and now has just over-

*240,000 active duty and reserve troops in at least 172 countries and territories*.

While the number of men and women deployed overseas has shrunk considerably over the past 60 years, the military reach has not............

American forces are actively engaged not only in the conflicts  of :

Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen that have dominated the news, but also in Niger and Somalia, both recently the scenes of deadly attacks, as well as Jordan, Thailand and elsewhere.

AN ADDITIONAL 37,813 troops serve on presumably secret assignment in places listed simply ''unknown''. 

The Pentagon provided no further explanation.

There are traditional deployments in Japan [39,980] and South Korea [23,591] to defend against  North Korea and China, if needed along with 36,034 troops in Germany, 8,286 in Britain and 1,364 in Turkey -all NATO allies. 

There are 6,524 troops in Bahrain and 3,055 in Qatar, where the United States has Naval bases.

America's operations in conflict zones like Africa are expanding :

400 American Special Forces personnel in Somalia train local troops in fighting the Shabab Islamist group, providing intelligence and sometimes going into battle with them.

One member of the Navy SEALs was killed there in a mission in May. On Oct.14, a massive attack widely attributed to the Shabab on Mogadishu street killed more than 270 people, which would show the group's increased reach.

About 800 troops are based in Niger, where four Green Berets died on Oct. 4.

Many of these troops are engaged in counterterrorism operations. So far, Americans seem to accept that these missions and the deployments they require will continue indefinitely.

Still, it's a very real question whether they will embrace new entanglements of the sort that President Trump has seemed to portend with his rash threats and questionable decisions on North Korea and Iran.

For that reason alone, it's time to take stock of how broadly American forces are already committed to far-flung regions and to begin thinking hard about how much of the investment is necessary-

How long it should to continue and whether there is a strategy beyond just killing terrorists. Which Congress, lamentably, has not done.

If the public is quiet, that is partly because so few families bear so much of this military burden, and partly because America is not in anything comparable to the Vietnam War, when huge American casualties produced sustained public protest.

It is also because Congress has spent little time debating why all these deployments are needed.

The idea that Americans could be inured to war is chilling, and it's a recipe for dangerous decisions with far-reaching ramifications. There are many factors contributing to this trend:

During earlier wars, including Vietnam, the draft put most families at risk having a loved one go to war, but now America has all-volunteer armed forces.

Most families do not have a family member in harm's way.

American casualty rates have been relatively low, especially in more recent years after the bulk of American troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Also, the United States has shifted to a strategy in which Americans provide air power and intelligence, and train and assist local troops who then do most of the fighting and most of the dying.

Since 9/11, American leaders have defined the fight against terrorism as a permanent struggle against a permanent threat. Terror attacks here in America and in Europe, and Mr. Trump's scaremongering, have reinforced the public's sense of siege.

The military is essential to nationals security, but it is not the only thing keeping America safe. 

So do robust diplomacy and America's engagement in multilateral institutions, both of which have faulted Mr. Trump for ignoring or undercutting.

Whether this largess will continue is unclear. But the larger question involves the American public and many new military adventures, if any, it is prepared to tolerate.

With much appreciation and many thanks to The New York Times for its editorial. This brilliant piece would help Global Students establish a clear perspective.

With respectful dedication to the Leaders, Students, Professors and Teachers of the Free World. See Ya all on !WOW!  -the World Students Society and Twitter-!E-WOW!  -the Ecosystem 2011:

''' The Welcome Mat '''

Good Night and God Bless

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