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, September 21, 2016

Update for Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Sorry for not posting for a while, I will resume a more regular schedule. As I've noted before, the situation in both Afghanistan and Iraq has been fairly static, although of course the daily drumbeat of violence and humanitarian catastrophe continues in both countries.

In Iraq, information trickling out of Mosul indicates that IS fears losing control, that there are signs of popular resistance, and that preparations for the coming assault are nevertheless continuing.

A specific act of resistance in Mosul seems to have just occurred as gunmen burn an IS publishing house.

Iraqi forces continue to tighten the vice on Mosul, moving in on the town of Shirqat in Salah-u-Din province and capturing villages in Anbar.

Iraqi parliament removes finance minister from office alleging graft. However they presented no evidence against him and the development could complicate relations with foreign funders. Zebari is a Kurd.

In Afghanistan, a peace agreement between the government and warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is expected tomorrow.

Interior minister Taj Mohammad says the security situation in Kunduz is "unsatisfactory" but that a renewed operation has been launched there against the insurgents.

Taliban attack kills a police commander and injures 3 police in Helmand.

Air strikes kill Afghan forces in Uruzgan, apparently a case of mistargeting.


Posted by Cervantes at 11:31 AM

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