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, April 26, 2017

Update for Wednesday, April 26, 2017

NYT's Michael Gordon goes to the front lines in Mosul, ducks fire as he gives  close-up view of the fighting.

A commenter asked how to find casualty reports. Go here, it's searchable by name.

Turkish air strikes on PKK positions in Shingal accidentally kill peshmerga, leading to protests by Kurdistan. Turkish air strikes on PKK have previously been confined to the border region, and tolerated by the Kurdish Regional Government, as well as the Baghdad government and U.S. However, the KRG decries the presence of the PKK in the area and calls on them to leave.

Adult men fleeing Mosul are detained and interrogated. Human rights activists say that some accusations are unwarranted.

An oil pipeline is blown up in Kirkuk.

Residents of the refugee camp near Qayyarah continue to suffer from nearby oil fires.










Posted by Cervantes at 7:29 AM

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