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, January 29, 2014

War News for Wednesday, January 29, 2014


How America spent $200 million teaching Afghan cops to read — and failed


Reported security incidents
#1: Provincial authorities say a suicide bomber has killed two Afghan soldiers in a market in eastern Afghanistan. Shafiqullah Nang, spokesman for the eastern province of Ghazni, said another three civilians were wounded in the blast in a bazaar in the Qarabagh district of the province on Wednesday.

#2: At least two Afghan national army soldiers were killed following a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan.

#3: At least three members of a family were killed following an explosion triggered by Unexploded ordnance (UXO) in capital Kabul early Wednesday morning.

Posted by whisker at 4:27 AM

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