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, January 17, 2013

War News for Thursday, January 17, 2013

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED blast in in undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, January 16th.
 
The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK on Wednesday, January 16th. The soldier was wounded from “enemy action” in the Lashkar Gah district, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Monday, January 14th.


Reported security incidents
#1: Up to six militants have been killed and eight others wounded in an operation carried out by the Afghan forces in the country’s western province of Herat, an army spokesman said on Thursday. “A search operation was conducted by the Afghan National Army ( ANA) commandos in Zirkoah area of Shindand district overnight.

#2: According to local authorities in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, a local police officer opened fire on his commander and killed him. The officials further added the incident took place late Tuesday night in Panjwai district. Provincail governor spokesman Javid Faisal confirming the report said the assailant local police officer poisoned his comrades and then opened fire on his commander.

Posted by whisker at 4:27 AM

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