Shadow Wars
Conn Hallinan on covert operations out of control
Conn Hallinan
Conn Hallinan writes for Foreign Policy in Focus.
The Afghan Rubik’s Cube
Afghanistan is a gatherer of metaphors: "crossroads of Asia," "graveyard of empires," and the "Great Game," to name a few. It might be more accurate, however, to think of it as a Rubik’s Cube, that frustrating puzzle of intersecting blocks that only works when everything fits perfectly. The trick for the Obama administration is to … Continue reading “The Afghan Rubik’s Cube”
Gaza: Death’s Laboratory
Erik Fosse, a Norwegian cardiologist, worked in Gaza hospitals during the recent war. "It was as if they had stepped on a mine," he says of certain Palestinian patients he treated. "But there was no shrapnel in the wound. Some had lost their legs. It looked as though they had been sliced off. I have … Continue reading “Gaza: Death’s Laboratory”
Danger in South Asia
If most Americans think Iran and Georgia are the two most volatile flashpoints in the world, one can hardly blame them. The possibility that the Bush administration might strike at Tehran’s nuclear facilities has been hinted about for the past two years, and the White House’s pronouncements on Russia seem like Cold War déjà vu. … Continue reading “Danger in South Asia”
Afghanistan: Not a Good War
Every war has a story line. World War I was "the war to end all wars." World War II was "the war to defeat fascism." Iraq was sold as a war to halt weapons of mass destruction; then to overthrow Saddam Hussein, then to build democracy. In the end it was a fabrication built on … Continue reading “Afghanistan: Not a Good War”
An Uncomfortable Conversation About Nukes
Why are Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, William Perry, and Sam Nunn writing opinion pieces in the Wall Street Journal calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons? Keep in mind, these four people are not just major defense hawks. People like Kissinger and Nunn helped push through the single most dangerous and destabilizing innovation in nuclear … Continue reading “An Uncomfortable Conversation About Nukes”
A New Cold War?
Military alliances are always sold as things that produce security. In practice they tend to do the opposite. Thus, Germany formed the Triple Alliance with Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire to counter the enmity of France following the Franco-Prussian War. In response, France, England, and Russia formed the Triple Entente. The outcome was World War … Continue reading “A New Cold War?”
Basra: Echoes of Vietnam
One battle rarely wins or loses a war, at least in the moment. Gettysburg crippled Lee’s army in 1863, but the Confederates fought on until 1865. Stalingrad broke the back of the German 6th Army, but it would be two-and-a-half years before the Russians took Berlin. War – particularly the modern variety – is a … Continue reading “Basra: Echoes of Vietnam”
A River Runs Backward
When historians look back on the war in Afghanistan, they may well point to last December’s battle for Musa Qala, a scruffy town in the country’s northern Helmand province, as a turning point. In a war of shadows, remote ambushes, and anonymous roadside bombs, Musa Qala was an exception: a standup fight. On one side … Continue reading “A River Runs Backward”
The Surge: Illusion and Reality
“Where the dead are ghosts on the fragile abacus used to calculate loss, to estimate tragedy.” – from "Body Count," by poet Persis Karim The narrative in the media these days is the success of the U.S. “surge,” which has poured an additional 30,000 U.S. troops into Iraq since early January 2007. In early December, … Continue reading “The Surge: Illusion and Reality”