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.

Andrew Bacevich


Wednesday, February 22, 2012

War News for Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Georgian MoD is reporting the deaths of three Georgian ISAF soldiers from a roadside bombing in Helmand province, Afghanistan on Tuesday, February 21st. Here's the ISAF release.


Gunfire wounds 26 in Afghan protests over Koran burning

Five dead in Afghan protest over Quran burning

Nine Afghan schoolgirls injured in NATO air raid


Reported security incidents
#1: A homemade bomb exploded next to a police vehicle in the Shabqadar area of the northwestern Charsadda district, near the restive Mohmand tribal region, security officials said. There were no casualties.

#2: A homemade bomb exploded outside a house in the Spin Qabar area of the northwestern Khyber tribal region, near the Afghanistan border, killing two people and wounding another, security officials said. Police said the device exploded as residents tried to remove it.

#3: A homemade bomb planted in a motorcycle exploded outside a hospital in the northwestern city of Peshawar, police officials said. There were no casualties.

GO/MoD: Corporal Beraia Valiko

GO/MoD: Corporal Meladze Ruslan

GO/MoD: Corporal Kacharava Paata

Posted by whisker at 3:27 AM

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