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, November 14, 2012

War News for Wednesday, November 14, 2012

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an unexplained explosion at a base in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, November 13th.


Reported security incidents
#1: Taliban insurgents on Wednesday dragged two young Afghan men from their car and shot them dead because they worked for NATO troops as interpreters, police said. The bloodied bodies of the men were found next to their car on the side of a road in Logar province, less than 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of the capital Kabul.

#2: According to local authorities in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, Taliban militants attacked a NATO military base in this province. The officials further added a heavy explosion took place after ammunitions depot caught fire as a result of the rocket attack. Panjwai district Fazal Ishaq confirming the report said the incident took place in Zangiabad village in Panjwai district. He said the fire as a result of the explosion in ammunitions depot continued for several hours however he did not disclose further information regarding the casualties as a result of the incident.


DoD: Sgt. Matthew H. Stiltz

Posted by whisker at 2:59 AM

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