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, September 23, 2012

News of the Day for Sunday, September 23, 2012

NATO air strike in Helmand province kills 7 people said to be Taliban leaders. In a subsequent ground operation, Mullah Ahmad Mubarak, said to be the Taliban "shadow governor" for the district, is arrested.

Zhou Yongkang, a member China's Standing Committee of the Politburo and that nation's top security official makes a surprise four hour visit to Kabul and meets with Hamid Karzai. He pledges China "will actively participate in Afghanistan’s reconstruction." As we noted here recently, China has invested in Afghan resources including oil and copper. Apart from economic interests, China's main interest in Afghanistan is to prevent the spread of Islamic militancy to its northwestern region.

Wakht News Agency, in broken English, discusses the visit, describing several agreements that were signed:

Both Afghan and China’s related officials signed a program on practicing the signed long-term strategic treaty and two documents on security and economy, after the end of the president and Ziankong meeting in which the second vice president, Mohammad Karim Khalili, presidential security advisor, Dr. Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, ministers of justice and finance, NDS chief and deputy interior minister had taken part.

Another agreement at the cost of $150 million had also been signed between the two sides delegation to be spent on technical and economic fields, as well another deal on national police equipments had been signed during the ceremony.

MoD identifies service member who died on Friday  as Sergeant Jonathan Eric Kups of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Rather mysteriously, it has yet to be confirmed whether his death was the result of hostile action.

ISAF announces arrest of two alleged plotters and a weapons dealer.

It's just blather, but Pakistan's Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour offers a $100,000 bounty for the death of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the filmmaker behind ridiculous "Innocence of Muslims" video. Oh yeah: "Bilour is considered by some in Pakistan to be partially responsible for the deteriorating situation of the country’s railways." But this will make up for that, I'm sure.

Police commander of western Badghis province is accused of raping three women under his command. The accusation is made in parliament by the MP for the district after no action has been taken by the Ministry of the Interior. The commander, Abdul Jabar Sabah, denies the charges although one of his accusers has testified on video. 

Posted by Cervantes at 5:12 AM

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