Since his inauguration, Obama has waged a different style of war than his predecessor. There is a marked preference for strikes by CIA controlled drone aircraft crossing international boundaries without the need to obtain any local consent, streamlined SpecialOps raids, and the ever greater use of mercenary armies and local forces trained and paid for by the West.
There are currently at least 3 mercenary armies being prepared for combat in Somalia: a 2,000 man private force trained by Blackwater founder Erik Prince, another 2,000 being trained by EU troops, with thousands more being trained in Uganda by undisclosed backers. These numbers are in addition to the 8,000 strong UN funded AU mission under siege in the capital, and to the armed forces of the breakaway regions Somaliland and Puntland, which already exist as de facto Western protectorates.
This is the face of Democratic war -- no white boots on the ground, no public outrage, but still lots of people dying "over there" so that we can feel safe "over here," with a bit of humanitarian handwringing thrown in.