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Africa May Force Obama's Military Hand

Despite war weariness, Americans may have to prepare for more troops oversees

By Kristina Loew, Newser User

Posted Nov 16, 2008 5:02 AM CST

(Newser) – As Barack Obama prepares to become America’s new president, the dire situation in Africa may upend his anticipated plans to extract the US from overseas military commitments, the Economist writes. While Americans may be wary of bigger burdens oversees, “history does not take a holiday just because America needs a breather," notes the Economist.

The UN has sent aid to troubled African regions, but with no army, it will need the world’s superpower to help. Obama has an opportunity to restore America’s moral leadership and “he will need the courage to respond," the magazine concludes.

[Images (3)]

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UN peacekeepers drive through the Kalma refugee camp in Darfur, Sudan. (AP Photo)

A woman refugee walks past the site of four mass graves, where the raised earth is marked by white sacks, in the Kalma refugee camp in Darfur, Sudan. (AP Photo)

Rwandan soldiers serving with the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur parade last summer. (AP Photo)

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A strong moral case remains for forceful outside intervention in desperate cases. Would the world still do nothing if it had a second chance to avert genocide in Rwanda?
- The Economist

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Africa May Force Obama's Military Hand