U.S. Military Sent to Jordan on Syria Crisis – NYTimes.com

The United States military has secretly sent a task force of more than 150 planners and other specialists to Jordan to help the armed forces there handle a flood of Syrian refugees, prepare for the possibility that Syria will lose control of its …

More via U.S. Military Sent to Jordan on Syria Crisis – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: Blogosphere, News, political plots, Political Violence, waging war, children and families fight Syrian dictator;, US military force, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;

President Obama, Warrior in Chief – NYTimes.com

“I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people,” the president told the Nobel committee — and the world. “For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince Al Qaeda’s leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man, and the limits of reason.”

MORE via President Obama, Warrior in Chief – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Culture Think, Death and Dying, drone attacks, Election 2012, Middle East Freedom, News, political plots, Political Violence, symbolic uses of politics, symbols as swords, Vote, waging war, WeSeeReason, Obama a Hawk?; Is President Obama any better than Bush?;, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;

Iran Raid Seen as Complex Task for Israeli Military – NYTimes.com

Should Israel decide to launch a strike on Iran, its pilots would have to fly more than 1,000 miles across unfriendly airspace, refuel in the air en route, fight off Iran’s …

MORE via Iran Raid Seen as Complex Task for Israeli Military – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: News, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Blogosphere, waging war, WeSeeReason, Middle East Freedom, Mass Media and Public Opinion, Political Violence, Jurisprudence, geopolitical, symbolic uses of politics, political plots, propaganda and spin, drone attacks, Culture Think, Death and Dying, International Relations, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;, Give peace a chance; peace talks; Israel and Palestine; Middle East Peace;, war crimes; international law; the fog of war; though shall not kill; collateral damage; civilian casualties of war; human rights violations;, Israel

U.S. Commandos Free 2 Hostages From Somali Pirates – NYTimes.com

Around 2 a.m. Wednesday, elders in the Somali village of Galkayo said they began hearing an unusual sound: the whir of …

MORE via U.S. Commandos Free 2 Hostages From Somali Pirates – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Culture Think, News, political plots, Political Violence, WeSeeReason, pirates, Somali pirates, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;

Inside Obama’s War Room | Politics News | Rolling Stone

On the afternoon of monday, March 14th, the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy stood nervously in the lounge of Le Bourget Airport on the outskirts of Paris, waiting for a private jet carrying a lone Libyan rebel to land. At 62, Lévy is one of France’s most famous writers and provocateurs, a regular fixture in the tabloids, where he’s known simply as …

MORE via Inside Obama’s War Room | Politics News | Rolling Stone.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Election 2012, European Alliances, geopolitical, Government Works?, Mass Media and Public Opinion, Middle East Freedom, News, Political Violence, waging war, WeSeeReason, Obama a Hawk?; Is President Obama any better than Bush?;, Obama war, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;

U.S. Troops to Leave Iraq by Year’s End, Obama Says – NYTimes.com

President Obama said Friday that the last American soldier would leave Iraq by the end of the year, bringing to an end a nearly nine-year military engagement that cost the lives of 4,400 troops and more than $1 trillion, divided the American …

MORE via U.S. Troops to Leave Iraq by Year’s End, Obama Says – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Election 2012, European Alliances, geopolitical, Government Works?, Mass Media and Public Opinion, Middle East Freedom, News, Oil and Gas, Political Violence, Public Policy, Social Media, social protests, waging war, WeSeeReason, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;

Qaddafi’s Death Is Latest Victory for New U.S. Approach to War – NYTimes.com

The final end to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s rule is the latest victory for a new American approach to war: few if any troops on the ground, the heavy use of air power, including drones, and, at least in the case of Libya, a reliance on …

MORE via Qaddafi’s Death Is Latest Victory for New U.S. Approach to War – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Election 2012, European Alliances, Government Works?, Mass Media and Public Opinion, Middle East Freedom, News, Oil and Gas, Political Violence, Public Policy, Social Media, Technology and You, waging war, WeSeeReason, America's image abroad; American economy; economics USA; transatlantic alliance; our European friends; drone attacks; international law; national sovereignty; integrity of national borders and nationa, killing Qaddafi, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;

War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era: The Military-Civilian Gap – Pew Research Center

During this decade of sustained warfare, only about 0.5% of the American public has been on active duty at any given time. At the height of World War II, the comparable figure was nearly 9%. As a result of the relatively small size of the modern military, most of those who served during the past decade were deployed more than once, and 60% were deployed to a combat zone.

The American public is well aware that the sacrifices the nation was called upon to make following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 have not been borne evenly across society. More than eight-in-ten Americans (83%) say members of the military and their families have had to make “a lot of sacrifices,” while just 43% say the same about the public as a whole.

MORE via Daily Number: War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era: The Military-Civilian Gap – Pew Research Center.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Election 2012, Mass Media and Public Opinion, News, Public Policy, waging war, WeSeeReason, Ending war; bringing our soldiers home; Tie a yellow ribbon; coming home; soldiers united with their families; Armed forces; military issues;, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;

War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era – Pew Research Center

As the United States marks the 10th anniversary of the longest period of sustained warfare in its history, the overwhelming majority of veterans of the post-9/11 era (96%) are proud of their military service. At the same time, more than four-in-ten (44%) report that they have had difficulties readjusting to civilian life, and 37% say that – whether or not they have been formally diagnosed – they have suffered from post-traumatic stress. While post-9/11 veterans are more supportive than the general public, just one-third (34%) say that, given the costs and benefits to the U.S., the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have both been worth fighting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MORE via War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era – Pew Research Center.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Mass Media and Public Opinion, News, Public Policy, Social Media, waging war, WeSeeReason, war and peace; peace, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;

C.I.A. Claim of No Civilian Deaths From Drones Is Disputed – NYTimes.com

On May 6, a Central Intelligence Agency drone fired a volley of missiles at a pickup truck carrying nine militants and bomb materials through a desolate stretch of Pakistan near the Afghan border. It killed all the militants — a clean strike with no civilian casualties, extending what is …

MORE via C.I.A. Claim of No Civilian Deaths From Drones Is Disputed – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Mass Media and Public Opinion, News, waging war, WeSeeReason, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;

Al Qaeda and the SEALs : The New Yorker

Early Saturday morning in Afghanistan, an American helicopter was reportedly shot down by Taliban insurgents, killing eight Afghan soldiers and at least thirty Americans on board. It was the most lethal attack against U.S. forces since they arrived in Afghanistan nearly ten years ago. Twenty-two Navy SEALs from Team Six, the secretive unit that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2nd, local time, are among the dead. None of the SEALs killed participated in the raid on …

MORE via News Desk: Al Qaeda and the SEALs : The New Yorker.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Election 2012, European Alliances, Government Works?, Mass Media and Public Opinion, Middle East Freedom, News, Political Violence, Public Policy, Public Sector, waging war, WeSeeReason, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;

NATO helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, killing 38 | Reuters

A NATO helicopter crashed during a battle with the Taliban in Afghanistan, killing 30 U.S. soldiers, an interpreter and seven Afghans, the Afghan president said on Saturday, the deadliest single incident for foreign troops in 10 years of war.

MORE via NATO helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, killing 38 | Reuters.

Filed under: Blogosphere, Election 2012, European Alliances, News, Political Violence, waging war, WeSeeReason, terrorism and international relations; the law of nations; NATO; US allies; international alliances; US friends in an unfriendly world, war; war strategy; national defense; US military; Presidential leadership; Barak Obama;