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, November 8, 2016

Update for Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Al Jazeera has a photo essay on civilians fleeing the fighting near Mosul. They are generally overjoyed to be free of IS rule but are now joining the ranks of millions of displaced people in Iraq.

Meanwhile, IS continues mass abductions, apparently intending to use people as human shields.

Iraqi soldiers find a mass grave in Hammam al-Alil, which may include the remains of former police officers known to have been executed en masse near the location. However, children's toys have also been found in the grave.

Peshmerga claim to be in control of Bashiqa after beseiging the town for two weeks. However, a few IS holdouts are said to remain.

Pentagon says it is providing close air support to Iraqi forces using Apache helicopters, to significant effect.

Attacks in Baghdad suburbs kill 14 people, including troops and civilians. IS is continuing its campaign of bombings in an around Baghdad; these incidents happen almost daily.





Posted by Cervantes at 6:14 AM

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