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, June 17, 2014

War News for Tuesday, June 17, 2014


US hikes surveillance on Afghan-Pakistan border: US general

Thousands flee Pakistan military operation for Afghanistan

Fighting northeast of Baghdad kills 44 detainees

Militants Attack Central Iraq City of Baquba: Officials


Reported security incidents
#1: Pakistani officials say at least 15 suspected militants were killed on Tuesday as military jets pounded targets in a northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

#2: A child was killed and five others were injured following a rocket attack by Taliban militants in eastern Kunar province. Another local security official said the main target of the rocket was a security check post; however, the mortar fired landed on a residential house.

Posted by whisker at 3:57 AM

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