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, May 21, 2014

News of the Day for Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Villagers find the beheaded bodies of 8 police officers who were kidnapped 2 weeks ago in Zabul province.

In other attacks, a suicide bomber in Nangarhar kills 2 police, and injure the district governor; the Taliban say the governor was killed. Attacks on 2 police posts in Laghman province kill a total of 7 police; while an attacks in Badakhshan kill at least 6.

Independent electoral commission fires 3,000 staff accused of fraud in the first round of the presidential election.

Iran denies reports, noted here on Sunday, that it is recruiting Afghans to fight on behalf of the Assad regime in Syria.

Suicide attack on a government building in Nangarhar kills 2 police, injures 9.

Explosion in a shop in Faryab province kills at least 1 civilian, injures 16.






Posted by Cervantes at 5:03 AM

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