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


Friday, March 16, 2012

War News for Friday, March 16, 2012

NATO is reporting the deaths of twelve ISAF soldiers in a helicopter crash in Kabul province, Afghanistan on Friday, March 16th. News reports that a Turkish military helicopter crashed into houses in the outskirts of Kabul killing twelve Turkish soldiers and a number of civilians on the ground.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from a non-combat related injuries in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, March 14th.


Afghan's botched attack on Western officials revealed

Official: Afghan-US talks on night raids ongoing

New case of Aghan killing Marine


Reported security incidents
#1: update Thirteen Afghan civilians, including four women and nine children, were killed Thursday when a roadside bomb went off in the country's southern province of Uruzgan, a provincial police source said. "A total of 13 innocent civilians, including four women and nine children, were killed as a roadside bomb struck a car in Siyachoi area of Diarawud district at about 12:15 p.m. local time Thursday," Farid Hayel, a police spokesman in the province, told Xinhua. The victims were members of the same family, he added.


DoD: Spc. Daquane D. Rivers

Posted by whisker at 3:35 AM

2 comments:

Cervantes said...

Karzai says he does not believe the U.S. account of the massacre. This is getting uglier by the day.

March 16, 2012 at 8:23 AM
Dancewater said...

"apparent Afghan treachery"

gee, it appears the Afghans don't like us.... I wonder why.....

March 17, 2012 at 9:25 PM

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