Last month President Trump announced that he would be removing U.S. troops from Syria and withdrawing thousands from Afghanistan. This was a surprise decision that many did not see coming and that many critics doubt will be possible to do in the time frame given by Trump.
That's because it is highly likely that Trump intends to replace uniformed troops in these battlegrounds with private military contractors — mercenaries — who will be less visible to the public eye and subject to fewer regulations than traditional soldiers.
This is not a withdrawal, it is the privatization of warfare.
Blackwater founder and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos brother Erik Prince has been lobbying the Trump administration to do just this for more than a year; by all indications, Trump has decided to go all in on hiring mercenaries.
If the United States is to leave these warzones, then it must actually do so — otherwise, it is merely a performance to please war-weary constituents. Tell the Trump administration that this is unacceptable by adding your name to this petition and sharing it with friends and family and on social media!
