KAMPALA, Uganda — In March, the United States sent 150 Air Force Special Operations forces along with military aircraft to Uganda to help capture Joseph Kony, whose Lord’s Resistance Army has terrorized the country for decades. This was the first time American military planes were sent for use in the years-long search for him, though 100 American troops were deployed as advisers to central Africa in 2011 in the fight against the L.R.A.
America is eager for a stable East African partner, particularly following the outbreak in December of sectarian violence in the Central African Republic. After the “Kony 2012” video calling for the fugitive leader’s arrest went viral in the United States, many Americans were convinced that Mr. Kony was the greatest problem facing Ugandans. But he is no longer a serious threat.
The country’s real time bomb is a…