Broadcast Brian

According to reports out of both Afghanistan and Iran we’re seeing a confluence of events evocative of some of the darker periods of the Cold War.

In Afghanistan, the war’s goals are straining the strategic political capital on the homefront and the tactical resolve of the soldiers. Perhaps, due to the memory of Vietnam, protests are somewhat muted domestically, but, soldiers are frustrated with the rules of engagement that are turning hearts and minds campaigns into quagmires. MSNBC reports that the new rules of engagement in Afghanistan have decreased civilian casualties attributable to the coalition forces by 30%, even as the number of civilian deaths has spiked. From those numbers, it’s not clear whether the new rules are working in terms of the goal of avoiding killing civilians, or if the Taliban were especially murderous recently, or both.

What is interesting is that this Cold War scenario, Vietnam in the Mountains, is taking place at the same time that missile and nuclear proliferation talks with Iran are reaching a boiling point. Sec. of State Clinton just reported on a meeting with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, worth the read if only for the description of the setting, that tied into new sanctions being proposed against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

So, yeah, just like the cold war except without nuclear missiles, more classroom pets, and fewer trees.