If true, this only demonstrates that hostility to the American military occupation is so widespread and deep among the Afghan population that any incident can provide the spark to provoke violent resistance. This is the case after ten years and $43 billion devoted by the US military to training an Afghan military and police force to do its bidding.
The US debacle in Afghanistan
I was talking to a colleague at work today about the US relationship to the mujahideen which was the precursor to al Qaeda. The CIA provided Stinger missiles to Osama bin Laden and the mujahideen to fight the Soviet invasion. Even back in the 1980s, Osama bin Laden was based in Pakistan and not Afghanistan so why did we spend the billions to hunt him in the wrong country?
American and NATO troops need to be pulled out. Their purpose ended with Osama bin Laden's death. The continued military presence is only resulting in resentment and continued attacks against our troops.
“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.”--Benjamin Franklin
Monday, August 20, 2012
Russian rein deer games
A Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine armed with long-range cruise missiles operated undetected in the Gulf of Mexico for several weeks and its travel in strategic U.S. waters was only confirmed after it left the region Silent Running
Russian and before that Soviet bombers regularly would play tag with US interceptors along the Alaskan airspace. But recent reports show now a more aggressive and wider area with Russian bombers flying along the Pacific airspace. Now comes a report that a Russian attack submarine was operating in the Gulf of Mexico. It is as though the Russians are bragging that they can penetrate the US defense zones undetected. These incursions bolster Putin's position to grow the Russian military (he recently announced a $3 billion plan to upgrade the Russian military). It also makes you wonder how far the US military has been reduced that the Russians are feeling the need to test us. It also means that Mr. Obama or Mr. Romney are going to have an very interesting time on their hands if we end up going to war in Syria or Iran. We will not be able to focus on waging combat operations abroad and defend the homeland against a military power.
Russian and before that Soviet bombers regularly would play tag with US interceptors along the Alaskan airspace. But recent reports show now a more aggressive and wider area with Russian bombers flying along the Pacific airspace. Now comes a report that a Russian attack submarine was operating in the Gulf of Mexico. It is as though the Russians are bragging that they can penetrate the US defense zones undetected. These incursions bolster Putin's position to grow the Russian military (he recently announced a $3 billion plan to upgrade the Russian military). It also makes you wonder how far the US military has been reduced that the Russians are feeling the need to test us. It also means that Mr. Obama or Mr. Romney are going to have an very interesting time on their hands if we end up going to war in Syria or Iran. We will not be able to focus on waging combat operations abroad and defend the homeland against a military power.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Israeli minister warns of 30-day war with Iran
A strike on Iran’s nuclear sites would spark a 30-day war with missile attacks on Israel's cities and as many as 500 dead, according to the Israeli minister responsible for preparing home defences.Telegraph
The above is from an article in the Telegraph. The jingoism in the assessment is alarming in that Israel does not perceive a conflict with Iran as having consequences beyond their own casualties. I also struggle with the small number of predicted casualties (500 according to the article) as the result of a 30 day missile war. A few missile strikes could result in that amount in just a few hours.
The rhetoric for attacking Syria in the US has been staying strong for the last few weeks and now the Turks and French have joined in. It looks more and more like a perfect storm leading to a major conflict in the Middle East. On the homefront, the US has had two horrific mass murders first in Aurora, Colorado and then the attack on the Sikh temple in Wisconsin. There have also been several incidents on armed men showing up in movie theaters. At least one ended up with the vigilante shooting himself in the posterior.
The Internet is fueling passions for conflict with a posting of a document claimed to be a training document for the US Army to attack US citizens in 2016 after the Tea Party leads a revolution in South Carolina. The essay may have been one of those papers someone going through the War College writes as a "what if" exercise but once it hit the Internet, it is now "doctrine" in the minds of conspiracy buffs.
Oh and less I forget, Putin has decided to increase military spending to modernize the Russian military. Gee, I wonder who he is getting ready to deal with?
All of these events make 2012 look like an rather destabilized time. However, the predictions of terrorist attacks at the recently concluded London Olympics did not happen so perhaps all of this sabre rattling will also go silent. It is just seems the preponderance of scenarios makes it unlikely that at least one conflict will not occur before the end of the year.
The above is from an article in the Telegraph. The jingoism in the assessment is alarming in that Israel does not perceive a conflict with Iran as having consequences beyond their own casualties. I also struggle with the small number of predicted casualties (500 according to the article) as the result of a 30 day missile war. A few missile strikes could result in that amount in just a few hours.
The rhetoric for attacking Syria in the US has been staying strong for the last few weeks and now the Turks and French have joined in. It looks more and more like a perfect storm leading to a major conflict in the Middle East. On the homefront, the US has had two horrific mass murders first in Aurora, Colorado and then the attack on the Sikh temple in Wisconsin. There have also been several incidents on armed men showing up in movie theaters. At least one ended up with the vigilante shooting himself in the posterior.
The Internet is fueling passions for conflict with a posting of a document claimed to be a training document for the US Army to attack US citizens in 2016 after the Tea Party leads a revolution in South Carolina. The essay may have been one of those papers someone going through the War College writes as a "what if" exercise but once it hit the Internet, it is now "doctrine" in the minds of conspiracy buffs.
Oh and less I forget, Putin has decided to increase military spending to modernize the Russian military. Gee, I wonder who he is getting ready to deal with?
All of these events make 2012 look like an rather destabilized time. However, the predictions of terrorist attacks at the recently concluded London Olympics did not happen so perhaps all of this sabre rattling will also go silent. It is just seems the preponderance of scenarios makes it unlikely that at least one conflict will not occur before the end of the year.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Russia
From AFA Daily Update:
Russia plans to invest heavily to rebuild and modernize its air force by 2020, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. He announced this plan at the Moscow Air Show on Aug. 11 in comments marking the Russian air force's 100th anniversary, reported the Associated Press (via ABC News). Putin aims to re-equip the air force with 600 new fixed-wing aircraft, such as the Sukhoi T-50 stealth fighter, and 1,000 new rotary-wing platforms, with deliveries starting this year, according to the report. "I'm sure, each of us will feel pride for the country, for the people who build such aircraft and pilot them," he added, stressing the government's commitment to defense revitalization. Russia reportedly intends to spend some $625 billion on new weapons through 2020. "I want to thank those who helped our air force survive during a difficult period in the 1990s and the early 2000s," said Putin.
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