Former Texas Rep. Ron Paul Decries American Involvement in Mali

Former Texas Rep. Ron Paul may be retired from his seat in Congress, but he is still making his voice heard on issues that concern him. In his newsletter, Texas Straight Talk, Paul has much to say about the civil war in the African country of Mali.

Paul decries American involvement in Mali

In his Texas Straight Talk post, Paul suggested that President Obama is involving the United States in another undeclared war in Mali. While he notes that American involvement is currently confined to providing logistical support for French troops battling Islamist insurgents, he offers the suspicion that will not be the end of it. He asks whether there are American drones, special operations troops, or CIA operatives currently inside Mali. According to CNN, as of this writing, French troops are engaged in a battle to retake the town of Kidal, the last major town in North Mali held by Islamist rebels. Previously the French retook the towns of Konna, Gao, and Timbuktu. The president of Mali has promised that elections will be held in July should the military situation warrant it.

Blowback from Libya

Paul asserts in his post that the trouble in Mali is blowback from American involvement in Libya. He suggests that Mali fighters, having been trained by the former regime of Moammar Gadhafi, had returned to their home country and began battling to take it over and make it an Islamic state. Paul's analysis is echoed by a piece in the Wall Street Journal that linked the toppling of the Gadhafi regime to instability in Mali as well as the massacre at the Benghazi consulate. Ironically, the United Nations fears that a successful French campaign in Mali might drive Islamist fighters back into Libya, a country still fragile and host to a number of militias and terrorist groups in the wake of the recent civil war.

Paul cites congressional power to declare war

In his post, Paul ruminates on his long-held belief that only Congress should be able to authorize a war in which American troops are involved. He suggests that by ignoring Congress concerning American involvement in Mali, as he has in Libya and other places, President Obama is eroding American democracy and assuming powers that he does not and should not have. Paul has been consistent in opposing American involvement in overseas conflicts. When accused of being an isolationist, Paul has responded, as he did with CNN's Wolf Blitzer during the 2012 presidential campaign, that he prefers the term "non-interventionist."

Texas resident Mark Whittington writes about state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network.

Read this article:
Former Texas Rep. Ron Paul Decries American Involvement in Mali