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


Sunday, July 28, 2013

News of the Day for Sunday, July 28, 2013

Three children are killed, four injured by an explosion in Farah City. The incident is apparently accidental, the result of unexploded ordinance in a scrap metal yard. (This is a common side effect of war, of course.)

Eighty British troops conduct a secret mission in southern Helmand province. UK forces officially withdrew from the province in 2010. MoD says an unspecified number of Taliban were killed or captured during the operation.

A farmer is killed by a roadside bomb in Kandahar province.

A child is rescued from kidnappers in Laghman province. The story does not state whether the motive for the crime was political or economic. However, since the incident was announced by the National Directorate for Security, one suspects the former.

President Karzai plans to visit Pakistan in an effort to mend relations. He has repeatedly accused Pakistan of harboring Afghan Taliban insurgents. (And he's right!)

Afghan government claims 30 militants killed in various operations in past two days. (This is approximately the standard number for these announcements. Also as usual, there appear to have been zero government or civilian casualties. Believe what you will -- C)

Parwan governor Abdul Basir Salangi and his bodyguards beat up a journalist who had criticized a book Salangi has written.

Attempt to assassinate northeastern Baghlan police chief Asadullah Shirzad by remote controlled bomb fails, but two civilian bystanders are killed. Also, governor of northern Samangan province Khairullah Anosh and two of his bodyguards are injured in a separate attack.



 

Posted by Cervantes at 4:46 AM

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