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, March 9, 2016

Update for Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Details emerge about IS detainee captured by U.S. special forces last month. He is identified as Sleiman Daoud al-Afari, an unconventional weapons expert who once worked for Saddam Hussein. He is said to have revealed that IS is able to fabricate weapons using mustard gas (which they have reportedly used against Kurdish villages and forces), but the weapons are not very sophisticated nor highly effective.

The Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline is still not back in operation but Turkish officials say it will be soon now that they have cleared PKK forces from the area of the damage. Inability to move oil to market through the pipeline has contributed to the financial crisis facing the Kurdish Regional Government. (Again, the motive for the PKK to do this is unclear but it seems to have been an incredibly stupid and counterproductive move. Obviously, it hurts the KRG a lot, the Turks very little.)

Its oil revenues sharply curtailed, IS is said to be more dependent on donations from the Gulf Arab states. Let us never forget the ridiculous situation in which U.S. "allies" are the principal funders of IS and al Qaeda. Yes, these donations are supposedly from individuals, not the governments, but the monarchies could put a stop to it if they wanted to.

Department of What Else is New? CentCom head Gen. Lloyd Austin wants more U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. To fight Saudi Arabia's proxies, in alliance with Iran. Whatever.

In Afghanistan, Taliban attack a police station in Helmand, killing at least 3 police and suffering 7 dead of their own.

Video shows Afghan police torturing a prisoner.

Taliban abduct 11 civilians in Sar-i-Pul.

Men convicted of killing Farkhunda have sentences sharply reduced.

Three civilians killed by IED in Herat.

Attempted suicide attack on Kabul fire department apparently kills only the attacker.




Posted by Cervantes at 11:02 AM

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