War, It Ain't Over

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"The Surge" wasn't what reduced violence in Iraq. Juan Cole points us to the reporting of The Guardian's Ghaith Abdul-Ahad

Baghdad, 5 years on (part 1 of 3): City of walls

US claims that the military surge is bringing stability to Iraq. By traveling through the heart of Baghdad its easy to see by enclosing the Sunni and Shia populations behind 12ft walls, the surge has left the city more divided and desperate than ever. Video by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad.

Violence in Iraq may be somewhat reduced, for the moment, but the outlook for Afghanistan is dismal.

Editor & Publisher has a preview of an article about the situation in Afghanistan by the legendary war reporter Joe Galloway:

by Joseph L. Galloway

There's military slang that seemingly applies to the situation on the ground in Afghanistan today. The operative acronym is FUBAR - Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition. That first letter doesn't really stand for "Fouled," and the R sometimes stands for Repair.

One of the sharper military analysts I know has just returned from a tour of that sorrowful nation, which has been at war continuously since the Soviet Army invaded it in late 1979.

Gen. Barry McCaffrey, who retired from the U.S. Army with four stars and a chest full of combat medals including two Distinguished Service Crosses, says we can't shoot our way out of Afghanistan, and the two or three or more American combat brigades proposed by the two putative nominees for president are irrelevant.

...(read the full article)