Sheldon Richman on U.S. Intervention in Mali

In his inaugural speech this month, President Barack Obama delivered a line that has gone quite overlooked. "America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe," Obama declared. "And we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad." That's a recipe for perpetual war and perpetual fiscal crisis, observes Sheldon Richman. And the latest local for this misguided approach is the west African country of Mali, where there is now an American footprint on the ground.