Coup leaders trained at Fort Benning

 

With the U.S. war in Afghanistan over, you may have thought an era of endless war has ended — far from it. Today, the United States remains on perpetual war footing, and often with devastating results.

Like just weeks ago, when U.S.-trained soldiers led a coup in Niger. U.S.-trainees originally given instruction in the name of “countering terrorism”, have ultimately helped launch nearly a dozen coups across West Africa since 2008. 

Disastrous operations in Niger, Mali, Guinea, and more aren’t a failure of the U.S. military machine: they’re the system working exactly as designed. And that system won’t stop until we fundamentally change the core of U.S. foreign policy.

Right now, Congress is considering repealing the 2002 AUMF — the outdated law that justified the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And here’s something big: we’re on the verge of winning. But this progress, as crucial as it is, is merely a stepping stone to the bigger fight to repeal the linchpin of global perpetual war: the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). 

With so much on the line, we need to keep building power. Our team is making seismic changes to seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity: Expand our reach, deepen our relationships on the Hill, and raise the alarm in the media. This all has financial consequences, and that’s why we’re writing today.

A direct gift to Win Without War is one of the most important ways you can join us in this work — and help strengthen our movement for peace. Our average gift this year is just $15.89. Can you match that or chip in with another amount to help us win this critical fight in our campaign to end endless war?

On top of continuing operations in Somalia, Iraq, and Syria, you may not know that the United States ALSO has significant military deployments in Cameroon, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, the Philippines, and Turkey.

It’s a staggering scale of war that spans the globe, and while there are many classified battlefields we don’t know about, some we do, like the sprawling U.S. drone base in Agadez, Niger. Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, head of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, met Brig. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, a U.S. trained Nigerien soldier, there in June. Barmou would help oust Niger’s democratically elected president a few weeks later.[1]

The suffering and chaos Nigeriens now face is just another example of a failed U.S. strategy to “counter terrorism” — but this is no accident. Instead of rooting out corruption, helping to alleviate poverty, or combat human rights abuses in countries like Niger, the United States prioritizes weapons sales and war training. 

Our system is geared towards war and violence because of the power of weapons contractors, because voices of impacted people are locked out, and because a status-quo, military-first mindset reigns supreme.

Here’s the simple truth: When you invest in war, you get more war.

War profiteers have made TRILLIONS in profits since 9/11 and stand to lose BIG if we’re successful in pulling the plug on the 2001 AUMF — and they know it. That’s why they’re throwing EVERYTHING they’ve got toward keeping the war machine running. 

We need to ramp up our work to meet them and this moment head on. THIS is when we leave it all on the table: Raise the alarm in the media, make non-stop phone calls to our allies in Congress, mobilize grassroots activists to get even louder, and more. Can you help us enter this next crucial phase of our work to end endless war with the wind at our backs?

Our campaign to end endless war won't stop until Congress tears up ALL the blank checks for endless war. Our largest single source of funding is individual donors: activists just like you who directly support our work. Please fuel this fight with a $15 donation today!

Peace is an uphill fight in Washington. But activists like you — people who dig deep, sign petitions, and make critical calls — have changed the debate about our nation’s post-9/11 wars. 

But we're not done yet. You can be sure our team is not resting until we tear up and block reckless black checks to wage war — and we need you with us.

Thank you for working for peace,
Amy, Shahed, Yint, and the Win Without War team

1. The Intercept, “Niger Coup Leader Joins Long Line Of U.S.-Trained Mutineers”

A U.S. foreign policy rooted in human rights and justice won’t happen overnight. If you’re with us for the long haul, consider a monthly donation.

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