anand gopal

Let’s learn what happened in Afghanistan, so we can do better in phase 2 of our Long War

By / Leave a Comment / 7 January 2018

Summary: Today’s must-read is a retrospective on NATO’s expedition to Afghanistan, even more important today as we begin the second phase of our Long War. It opens with a shocker and gets even better. The reviewer has deep in experience in Afghanistan; the author has even deeper experience. The combination provides powerful insights while cutting …

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The truth emerges about Afghanistan, an indictment of our war. Now comes the hard part: learning from failure.

By / 34 Comments / 7 January 2018

Summary: Today’s must read is a retrospective on our expedition to Afghanistan, now that the cloud of lies slowly dissipates. Since Vietnam we’ve masked our failures by myths, short-circuiting our ability to learn. A hegemonic power can substitute power for smarts. The coming multi-polar world will prove more challenging, so that weaknesses become terminal flaws. …

The truth emerges about Afghanistan, an indictment of our war. Now comes the hard part: learning from failure. Read More »

“Night Raids, Hidden Detention Centers, the ‘Black Jail’, and the Dogs of War in Afghanistan”

By / 13 Comments / 3 June 2010

The recent news has not not been kind to those of us retaining illusions about America.  Executive orders to assassinate Americans.  Rumors of mysterious deaths in American-run prisons.  And, as described here, reports that our special operations forces have become more like assassins than elite soldiers.  This is similar to the practices of our premier corporations — …

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