FOR allies worried that America is pulling back from the world, Morón air base in southern Spain is a reassuring spot. The base, which officials endearingly mispronounce moroan to make it sound less like a dim person, is home to a rapid-reaction force of marines, created after the deadly attacks in 2012 on the American consulate in Benghazi. Marines at Morón, backed by a smaller force in Sicily, can reach embattled American diplomats and envoys across north Africa in a few hours.
Their mission reflects a messy “post-Benghazi world”, says the marines’ commander, a laconic colonel. More cheeringly, it reflects a continued desire for America to engage with that world, for all its risks. On October 6th the defence secretary, Ashton Carter, visited the marines’ Spanish and Sicilian bases. At both stops Mr Carter—a trained physicist and longtime Pentagon official who, in February, became Barack Obama’s fourth defence secretary—invited troops to pose questions. Each time he was asked how America should respond to Russia’s intervention in Syria.
Mr Carter signalled no radical change of plan. America will keep...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/1WPlNa4
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