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, August 18, 2013

News of the Day for Sunday, August 18, 2013

Several employees of the Ministry of Mines are kidnapped in Baghlan province, while on the road to Bamiyan. The exact number of abductees has not been reported. The Hezb-e-Islami party of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, we well as Taliban, are active in the area.


The Ministry of Defense announces deaths of 7 soldiers and 4 police in various incidents. Two soldiers were killed in Zherai district of southern Kandahar province, three soldiers in Mohammad Agha district of Logar province, and two in Zurmat district of Paktiya province, all by roadside bombs. Two more were injured by a blast in Zherai district of southern Kandahar province. At least two police officers were killed and three others were injured after their vehicle struck with a roadside bomb in Jaghato district on Sunday morning. In a separate incident on Saturday evening, at least two police officers along with three militants killed in Zankhan district.

Eleven U.S. military personnel and 7 civilian employees are disciplined for placing ads on commercial web sites seeking sex, while deployed in Afghanistan. (Of course, the very idea of soldiers and sailors patronizing prostitutes is shocking, just shocking. Thank God it hardly ever happens.)

Twelve alleged Taliban, including a judge, are arrested in Kandahar province. Wakht news agency always has wonderful English translations, starting with their slogan, "Makes the Deference." Here's an excerpt from the article:
Spokesman for the provincial governor, Jaweed Faisal said in a statement that the security forces moved in, to clear some areas of the militants planted mines in Panjwayee district, where the horticultures’ owners complained about the growing mine plantation in their horticulture.
Local officials in Baghlan decry "Illegal Armed Groups."  These are not insurgents but rather private militias, often enjoying support of local elites. Excerpt:

"The former governor, police chief and other security officials knew that the armed men are active in the province, but they did not pursue them or seize their weapons, which is now a big issue for us. We will try to find and collect the illegal weapons," said Sultan Mohammad Ebadi, the current governor of Baghlan. . . .

He was reassured by the efforts he knows the Afghan security forces are making to combat insurgency in the province. But it seems the IAGs are another issue entirely, rearing up like a new Hydra head across the country, one that has yet to really be addressed by the insurgency-focused government and security forces.

Posted by Cervantes at 4:57 AM

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