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, December 4, 2013

War News for Wednesday, December 04, 2013


U.S. Halts Truck Shipments Out Of Afghanistan Via Pakistan


Reported security incidents
#1: Four civilians were killed Wednesday in a blast in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, said a district governor.

#2: Twenty-seven Taliban militants were killed in military operations conducted by Afghan security forces since early Tuesday, the country's Interior Ministry said on Wednesday morning.

#3: At least nine police officers were killed or injured following an explosion in south-eastern Zabul province of Afghanistan. According to local security officials, the incident took place Tuesday in Arghandab district, leaving three police officers dead and 6 others injured. The officials further added that district security chief for Arghandab was also among those injured in the blast.

Posted by whisker at 3:51 AM

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