Successor to Today in Iraq
The present-day U.S. military qualifies by any measure as highly professional, much more so than its Cold War predecessor. Yet the purpose of today’s professionals is not to preserve peace but to fight unending wars in distant places. Intoxicated by a post-Cold War belief in its own omnipotence, the United States allowed itself to be drawn into a long series of armed conflicts, almost all of them yielding unintended consequences and imposing greater than anticipated costs. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. forces have destroyed many targets and killed many people. Only rarely, however, have they succeeded in accomplishing their assigned political purposes. . . . [F]rom our present vantage point, it becomes apparent that the “Revolution of ‘89” did not initiate a new era of history. At most, the events of that year fostered various unhelpful illusions that impeded our capacity to recognize and respond to the forces of change that actually matter.
Whisker is going to be off line for a few days. Until he returns, Dancewater will provide daily posts, but generally not until evening. I may weigh in if and when I can, but no promises. We'll be back up to the usual posting schedule when Whisker returns. Meanwhile, you all are free to post updates in comments, and I will at least try to create an open thread each morning for the purpose.
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