The US preoccupation with policing the world has a terrible history of counterprodutive consequences, blowback, and has often times made global problems far worse. US intervention in Congo is no different:
For the women of eastern Congo, a U.S.-backed Congolese military operation meant to save them from abusive rebels has turned into a nightmare of its own.
An already staggering epidemic of rape has become markedly worse since the January deployment of tens of thousands of poorly trained, poorly paid Congolese soldiers, with people in front-line villages such as this one saying the soldiers are not so much hunting rebels as hunting women.
Congo is in the middle of a bitter and bloody 15 year civil war, where rape has been an all too frequent tool used by all sides in the conflict. Congolese militias, now backed with American guns and money, are increasing their hideous assaults.
The US is justifying its continued intervention with hopes that it will mend the rocky relationship between Congo and Rwanda. Unfortunately for the starving Congolese women, the rapes have nearly tripled since the US-led operations began in January.
For some reason, the US thinks its in our interest to entangle ourselves in foreign, distant, and historically complex ethnic conflicts around the globe. Plus, US intervention usually makes these problems much, much worse until they grow and fester even more, thus justifying even more US policing.
How about minding our own business for once? The world would be a far safer and more peaceful place without the US constantly meddling militarily into every corner of the globe.
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