Ed Krayewski on U.S. Intervention in Nigeria

Earlier this week the Nigerian government
accepted an offer from the United States that involved deploying a
special security team to participate in the attempted rescue of
nearly 300 girls kidnapped last month by the Islamist extremists
Boko Haram.  The U.S. government first offered help this month
after the story of the kidnappings broke into mainstream media in
the West. Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, was initially
reluctant to accept international help. Arguably the U.S. would not
have put as much pressure on Nigeria to accept its aid were it not
for the popular outrage over the horrific crime. Yet, while the
offer of limited U.S. help may alleviate the understandable outrage
over the kidnapping even if it can’t significantly improve the
chances of rescuing the girls, writes Ed Krayewski, broader U.S.
intervention in Nigeria, no matter how benevolent-minded in this
particular instance, is a bad idea all around.

View this article.