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


Tuesday, February 4, 2014

War News for Saturday, Tuesday 04, 2014


Marine from Hermiston loses part of leg in Afghanistan explosion

6 Unanswered Questions About Obama's Drone War

Karzai Arranged Secret Contacts With the Taliban


Reported security incidents
#1: Units of police in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province captured two would-be suicide bombers on Monday, a statement of Interior Ministry released here on Tuesday said.

#2: Units of police backed by the army have killed three Taliban militants and captured 17 others during series of operations across the country over the past 24 hours, Interior Ministry said in a press release issued here on Monday.

Posted by whisker at 4:23 AM

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