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, November 20, 2011

News of the Day for Sunday, November 20, 2011

Reported Security Incidents

Hilah

Three women and 1 man are killed in an attack by unknown gunmen.

Ramadi

Gun battle at a checkpoint leaves 5 police and 3 insurgent dead. (The story doesn't specify but I believe this occurred late Saturday. A separate attack on a police station leaves 1 officer dead and 3 injured.

Baghdad, Yusifayah Township

Iraqi security forces say U.S. forces killed 2 Iraqis after an explosion struck their vehicle. According to the report, the Americans opened fire at random, killing 2 civilians and injuring either 3 or 5. According to AFP, a U.S. military spokesman denies that U.S. forces fired any shots at all. According to Aswat al-Iraq, no Americans were injured in the explosion, but they fired on passing cars, causing the casualties. The Iraqi state news service is also reporting this incident.

Other News of the Day

VP Hashemi notes that the Iraqi budget is based on an assumption of continued high oil prices. Should prices fall, the country will face a fiscal crisis.

Stringent security measures are preventing Iraqi refugees from resettling in the U.S. This story is for a Christian publication and emphasizes that many of the people are affected are Christians but that's not really the point. -- C

This analysis by Sammy Ketz notes that Iraq's support for the Assad regime in Syria has secular overtones, and could deepen divisions in Iraq. Iraqi Sunni Arabs sympathize with the Sunni majority in Syria and in the border region, often share family and clan ties. -- C

Afghanistan Update

Loya Jirga approves long-term security pact with the U.S. as proposed by president Karzai. The agreement would have several thousand international troops remain after 2014 as "trainers and advisers."

Students in Jalalabad protest against the long-term U.S.-Afghanistan security pact recently approved by the Loya Jirga.

Meanwhile, no surprise, the Taliban denounce the Jirga as illegitimate.

Four children are killed by an explosion near a playground in Nangarhar. It appears this may have been a mortar shell left over from previous combat, perhaps a long time ago. It is a reminder that Afghanistan has known almost continuous war for decades.

Posted by Cervantes at 5:45 AM

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