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


Sunday, September 28, 2014

News of the Day for Sunday, September 28, 2014

Sticky bomb attached to a military truck in Zanbaq square, near the presidential palace, injures the driver.

Five police killed when their vehicle hits an IED in Maidan Wardak province.

Taliban launch an offensive in eastern Nangarhar.

Pakistani journalist Faizullah Kahn, who had been sentenced to four years in prison for illegal entry into Afghanistan, is freed and will return home. His arrest and sentence had been protested by journalist organizations.

In a development which has received surprisingly little attention, the Afghan government will be unable to meet its payroll next month. The treasury will be unable to write paychecks to hundreds of thousands of civil servants. [One wonders what will happen to the loyalty of the security forces if they are not paid.]

Ashraf Ghani will be inaugurated as the second president to hold power under the present constitution on Monday. Ghani has promised to sign a security agreement with NATO which will allow 12,500 foreign troops to remain next year. He has also promised to institute merit-based civil service hiring. [Of course, that won't mean much if he can't pay them.]




Posted by Cervantes at 4:42 AM

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