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, February 11, 2017

Update for Saturday, February 11, 2017

AFGHANISTAN

 Two U.S. soldiers are injured in a firefight in Helmand. An airstrike called in to support the action may have killed up to 25 civilians, according to local officials. One of the U.S. soldiers suffered a gunshot wound and has been transported out of the country. The other was lightly wounded by shrapnel and has returned to duty.

Suicide attack on an Afghan army vehicle in Lashkar Gah kills several soldiers and injures 15 people. Reported death totals vary, from 3 to 8. Seven is the most commonly cited number.

Gunmen kill a "counterterrorism officer" and his bodyguard in Badakhshan.

IRAQ

Sadrist rally in the capital results in deadly clashes between protesters and police. One police officer and four protesters are reported killed, as police fire tear gas and rubber-coated bullets. 

Suicide bombings, 1 in Mosul and 2 in Baghdad, kill 10 and injure 33. Other reports give higher casualty totals. Note that if this happened in a European country or the U.S., it would be a huge story. It is completely ignored by U.S. media.

U.S. drone attack targets IS operative Rachid Kassim near Mosul. Results are unknown.


Posted by Cervantes at 7:02 AM

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