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


Sunday, April 27, 2014

News of the Day for Sunday, April 27, 2014

British MoD denies Taliban claims that they shot down the Lynx helicopter that crashed yesterday near Kandahar, killing five. Three of the dead were from the air corps, based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire; the other dead were in the RAF, and army reserve. None has yet been named.

Afghan police say they kiled 5 insurgents in Paktika, including 2 foreign nationals. One police officer is said to have been lightly injured in the operation.

At least 15 mortar shells are fired from Paktika into North Waziristan. The story does not explain who may have done this, or why, but notes that the Pakistani military has been firing rockets into Afghanistan.

Abdullah Abdullah claims victory in the presidential election, claims there will beno need for a runoff once fraudulent votes are removed from the tally. He has criticism for the Independent Electoral Commission. However, according to the tally released so far, he will face a runoff with Ashraf Ghani.

Ghani says his campaign will continue and he predicts victory in the second round. 

Two civilians and a police officer are killed, 7 civilians injured, in an explosion at a marketplace in Ghazni. There is no claim of responsibility as of now.

Government begins a campaign to round up addicts in Kabul and put them into recovery centers. It is not clear whether commitment will be involuntary. The linked article discusses the epidemic of opiate addiction and the adequacy of resources in the country.

Posted by Cervantes at 5:19 AM

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