What Would Richard Holbrooke Say?

Yesterday would have been uber-diplomat Richard Holbrooke’s 72nd birthday. He died December 13, 2010 while on the job as our top envoy to Afghanistan, and one can’t help thinking that whatever 1960′s idealism still existed in terms of making that country a better place, died with him. At least symbolically. That is not to say [...]

“…Turns out it was 11″

Photographer and antiwar activist Jayel Aharem quipped on twitter, “‘Yesterday in San Diego, we chanted “B.A.R.A.C.K. how many kids did you kill today?’ Turns out it was 11 http://is.gd/9pCMZA.” Antiwar.com’s Jason Ditz delivers the punch line.

Finally: Mainstream Compares COIN to Waterloo

The Battle of Waterloo was a decisive defeat for the Emperor Napoleon: his losses forced his abdication, restored King Louis XVIII to France’s throne, and sent the former emperor away for the rest of his days in exile on the isle of Saint Helena. In other words, it destroyed him. From then on, meeting one’s [...]

Convenient “Clerical Error” Gives Rosy Picture of Afghan Progress

Let’s hope that newly minted Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will live up to some of our expectations and not be afraid to tell it like it is. Let’s start with Afghanistan. We just found out today that an alleged data entry glitch in the Pentagon program that spits out regular assessments like the number [...]

Gen. Allen: Afghanistan ‘Graveyard’ Swallows Another Career

This week Marine Corps General John Allen joined a long and lamentable list of American leaders who have succumbed to the ancient affliction that conventional rhetoric has deemed the “graveyard of empires.” He is not the first, but given that the United States seems to be on a real trajectory — finally — for an [...]

Ban Weaponized Drones from the World

From Roots Action: Meticulous researchers have documented that U.S. drones are killing many innocent civilians in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere. Drones are making the world less stable and creating new enemies. Their remoteness provides those responsible with a sense of immunity. Weaponized drones are no more acceptable than land mines, cluster bombs, or chemical weapons. [...]