Europe, particularly France, is criticizing the United States for its plans to withdraw some or perhaps all of its 6,000 to 7,000 troops from West Africa. The U.S. is doing this as part of an effort to shift its military assets around the world to re-orienting them to better face possible challenges by the Great Powers, especially China. In doing so, defense secretary Mark Esper and his team question the value of the efforts in West Africa and want to scale them back, as those African militants lack the ability and intent to attack the U.S. homeland.
The same cannot be said of France. Islamic terrorism in West Africa is centered in former French colonies. The French worry that if the militants aren’t countered in Africa, they could spread murder and mayhem to France itself. And then there’s the immigration concern. If backward countries like Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania become failed states, a surge of African refugees could be bound for France and then throughout Europe.
For those reasons, France currently has about 4,500 troops fighting in West Africa. The French fear that the U.S. withdrawal will leave them exposed. […]
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