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, October 19, 2012

War News for Friday, October 19, 2012




Reported security incidents
#1: An explosion from a roadside bomb tore into a minibus carrying people to a wedding in northern Afghanistan on Friday, leaving 15 dead and 18 wounded, police said. Spokesman Shir Jan Durani said the group was travelling to Dawlat Abad district, about 450 kilometres (270 miles) northwest of the capital, Kabul.

#2: Separately, six football fans died and 36 were wounded on Friday when their bus collided with a fuel tanker on a narrow road about 400 kilometres (240 miles) northwest of the capital, provincial governor Mohammad Aleem Saaie said. The fans were travelling to Kabul for the final round of the country's football championships.

#3: Gunmen have opened fire at a Russian Mi-8 helicopter used by the UTair airlines for UN missions in Afghanistan, police say. The UN-contracted helicopter was attacked between the cities of Jalalabad and Gardez. The bullets hit it four times but the pilot managed to put a sufficient distance between the chopper and the attackers. The crew and passengers got away unscathed.

Posted by whisker at 4:16 AM

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