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


Friday, September 14, 2012

War News for Friday, September 14, 2012

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, September 13th.


Reported security incidents
#1: Gunmen attacked the residence of a private radio channel’s regional head in Ghazni City, the capital of southern Ghazni province, but inmates escaped unhurt.

#2: Two NATO containers were attacked and later set on fire by some unknown miscreants in Dasht area of District Mastung here on Thursday. According to the sources, unknown armed men attacked two NATO containers coming from Karachi en route to Afghanistan in Dasht area of district Mastung. The goods loaded in the container were burnt to ashes. However, no casualty was reported.

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