Answer:
Ukraine. Gaza. Syria. Yemen. Pakistan. If it feels like the United States is always at war somewhere, that's because it is. Not just Iraq and Afghanistan - the two wars we all know about. And, granted, we're not only talking boots on the ground. It's our money, our weapons and - more often in recent weeks - our Secretary of State, engaged in high-stakes diplomacy to uneven results. At his last count, investigative journalist Kevin Gosztola put the U.S. war count at 74. These are mostly unannounced and undeclared wars against enemies that have different aspirations, strategies and ideologies.
Why? The official line varies. Some conflict engagement is, we're told, about nation-building (Iraq and Afghanistan.) Other operations are to remove a despotic ruler (Syria, Libya.) Some engagement is designed to pick off a terror group/groups (Oman, Pakistan, Yemen) and/or to spread "true" democracy (Iraq and Afghanistan, again.) There are wars we engage in to free people from a cycle of fear (Central African Republic) to stem the flow of hundreds-year-old bloodletting (Israel/Palestine) and to keep old foes in check (Ukraine/Russia).
