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


Thursday, March 1, 2012

War News for Thursday, March 01, 2012

NATO is reporting the deaths of two ISAF soldiers from small arms fire/gunshot wounds by an ANA soldier somewhere in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, March 1st. News reports that an Afghan Army trainer shot the two soldiers in Kandahar province. U.S. soldiers killed the shooter and another Afghan ANA soldier.


US jets violate Pak airspace


Reported security incidents
#1: Pakistan fighter jets bombed five militant hideouts in the Kurram and Orakzai tribal regions, killing 18 militants and wounding 26, security sources said. There was no independent verification and militants often dispute official accounts.

Posted by whisker at 3:03 AM

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