New War of Choice in Uganda Follows Familiar Foreign Police Doctrine http://news.antiwar.com/2011/10/15/new-war-of-choice-in-uganda-follows-familiar-foreign-police-doctrine/

[Obama cites “national security interest” as justification for war-by-presidential-decree] … In official foreign policy doctrine, “national security interest” often means the interest of corrupt dictatorships, albeit ones that are obedient to US demands.For years, the US has lent economic and military support to the Ugandan government, now headed by the regime of President Yoweri Museveni, reelected earlier this year in a vote that was widely disputed by international observers. And since the US war in Somalia has intensified, relying on obedient state thugs in neighboring countries is ever more important.

Ostensibly aimed that the rag-tag al Shabaab militant group based in Somalia, the US has expanded its drone war in Somalia. It has also doubled down on a proxy war in which one group of militants gets US support, while the other – indistinguishable from the first – is targeted. Meanwhile, the CIA and Joint Special Operations Command are running what amounts to a kill/capture program in the country.

In this context, US support for the Ugandan regime has increased as a bribe to fight this latest US war. In June, the Pentagon sent part of a $45 million package in military equipment to Uganda. The aid included four small drones, body armor and night-vision and communications gear and is in part being used against al-Shabab. The request for aid to Uganda in FY 2012 is set at over $527 million.

Capturing LRA leader Joseph Kony remains the highest priority for Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. As the Washington Post reported, “military advisers in Uganda could be payback for U.S.-funded Ugandan troops in Somalia.” Keeping Museveni – a dictator who has been deemed “president-for-life” – content and swimming in weapons and money is what will keep him willing to fight a dangerous and brutal proxy war for the US.The approach will be familiar to anyone knowledgeable of the history of US foreign policy, from Latin America to the Middle East. But it is still a bold move as Obama’s hot wars tally up… Full article