Browsing All posts tagged under »Marines«
Marjeh, Afghanistan: X-ray of McChrystal’s Bleeding Ulcer
Updated: 28 June 2010 Operation Urban Inflation One objective I cannot accomplish here is a comprehensive recap of counterinsurgency doctrine, the development and execution of Operation Moshtarak in Helmand province, Afghanistan, starting in February, and a comprehensive analysis of all of the apparent outcomes. Instead, this a selective series of vignettes. The first vignette: on […]
Afghan Vignette 1: Those Cowardly Taliban
September 2, 2009 by Maximilian Forte
[The first in our series of very short posts featuring various imperial ironies.] There is never enough adventure in some foreign war zones. Not like in Iraq, shit, those guys were hard core. I mean, what are the chances of getting your ass blown off in a good old fashioned firefight in Afghanistan? None. The […]
Bait & Switch from the Anti-Colonial Hearts & Minds
August 15, 2009 by Maximilian Forte
Reading like a classic scene replayed from the vast literature on colonial history, this gem: In the southern province of Helmand, U.S. Marines have been trying to secure the strategic town of Dahaneh to cut Taliban supply lines and enable the government to open a polling station there. After two days of fighting, Marines helped […]
The “Culture” Virus: The Human Terrain System spreads to Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean
September 7, 2008 by Maximilian Forte
The intention of the links and extracts to follow is to show the spread of the U.S. military’s intention to build on the Human Terrain System in penetrating local cultures and intervening in local societies across the planet. Of course anthropology is singled out for “special mention,” now that in the minds of the state […]
Human Terrain System spreads to Africa: “Oil and Terrorism”
August 28, 2008 by Maximilian Forte
Thanks to Crossed Crocodiles for posting an essay detailing the spread of the partnership between anthropology and counterinsurgency to Africa, under the U.S.’ AFRICOM. The full post is available here, extract below. This is a welcome corrective to the kind of unqualified support, and outright hype, that was featured in the last post. ••••••• Back […]
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June 27, 2010 by Maximilian Forte
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