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


Saturday, August 27, 2016

Update for Saturday, August 27, 2016

Oops. U.S. drone strike in Helmand province kills 22 Afghan soldiers who were Taliban prisoners.

Taliban capture Janikhail in Paktia province. Five police officers are killed in the fighting and Taliban seize weapons and military vehicles. A separate report says that at least 30 members of security forces were killed.

Reporters without borders says dangerous conditions have made parts of Afghanistan informational "black holes."  (This is a problem readers are well aware of. We cannot corroborate reports from official channels and reports of battles often appear to be self-serving.)




2 comments:

Unknown said...

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Dr Purva Pius said...
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