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


Thursday, July 17, 2014

War News for Thursday, July 17, 2014


Reported security incidents
#1: Four Afghan militants have been killed after launching a rocket-propelled grenade attack on Kabul International Airport. "Four terrorists were killed by police special forces. The area is being cleared now, there are no casualties to our forces," said Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.
 
#2: Officials say police fought for more than 10 hours with militants planning to attack the prime minister's home in eastern Pakistan. Government official Shuja Khanzada said Thursday a police officer and a militant were killed in an overnight operation against insurgents planning the attack.
 
#3: At least seven people were killed and four others injured today in a roadside bomb blast in this restive northwestern Pakistani city. The blast occurred in Dorri Banda area of Hangu district of Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
 
#4: Taliban militants attacked the security convoy of president Hamid Karzai in eastern Paktia province of Afghanistan. Preliminary reports suggest at least four security guards of president Karzai were injured following the attack.

Posted by whisker at 3:58 AM

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