War Without End

My friend Nancy was on TV yesterday, but not to appear on a talent show. She was on News 12 New Jersey as one of several protesters demonstrating against the Iraq War, which began eight years ago yesterday. (The demonstration was held in Montclair, N.J., where I spend a lot of time.) Although that war is technically over - all of the American combat troops left in August 2010 - American service personnel are still there to help provide "security" until the end of this year. And to keep you from looking on a bright side that doesn't exist, Americans are still getting killed in Iraq despite their reduced role in the country.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has opened a third front in the Muslim world (after Iraq and Afghanistan), with a series of strikes against Libya. The United States is one of five nations taking part in what is apparently a series of air attacks designed to back up the rebels in Libya and help them get Qaddafi out of power. The main objective is to provide safe passage for civilians and rebels without directly intervening in the conflict. The U.S. is trying to limit its role in this operation as well as its scope, for obvious reasons, and it must be something of a relief for the American commanders that the French and the British are taking the lead this time, but once again, the West is pursuing a war to resolve unresolvable geopolitical headaches in the Middle East, and it doesn't look like there'll be an end to it any time soon.

Speaking of headaches, all this war news is giving me one.