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


Friday, June 27, 2014

News of the Day for Friday, June 27, 2014

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Thomas Z. Spitzer, 23, of New Braunfels, Texas, died June 25 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, California.

Four police are killed and one injured in attacks on checkpoints  in Chamtal and Chahar Bolak districts, Balkh province, according to the provincial police chief. The Taliban claim 7 Afghan forces killed.

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan expresses concern about civilian casualties from ongoing fighting in Helmand. "the UN Mission is particularly concerned about the launching of mortars and grenades into populated areas which has resulted in civilian casualties, and calls on the parties to take all necessary measures to reduce harm to civilians from the use of these weapons." While the UN has documented 30 civilian deaths in the past week, note that yesterday local officials in Sangin district, where the fighting is concentrated, reported at least 50 deaths, as reported here and linked on this site yesterday.

Thousands march in Kabul in support of Abdullah's allegations of electoral fraud.

President Obama asks Congress for $58.6 billion to fund the war in Afghanistan. That probably sounds like a lot of money to you, but it's the smallest request in a decade.

Many believe that Karzai engineered the electoral debacle in order to hold on to power. That would include his brother Mahmoud.




Posted by Cervantes at 4:42 AM

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