The euro has fallen to its lowest level against the dollar for 10 months amid continuing concerns over Greece’s debt crisis. Persistent worries over its 300bn- euro ($419bn; £259bn) debt has weighed on the European single currency. The euro traded at $1.3436 in late morning, its lowest since May 2009.
Russian Advice on Afghanistan
By BORIS GROMOV and DMITRY ROGOZIN
Published: January 11, 2010
International Herald Tribune
Boris Gromov, governor of the Moscow region, commanded the 40th Soviet Army in Afghanistan. Dmitry Rogozin is Russia’s ambassador to NATO.
The length of the NATO operation in Afghanistan will soon become comparable to that of the Soviet involvement there. But the military actions we conducted 20 years ago differed fundamentally from those of today.
We were fighting against the fathers of today’s Taliban militants face-to-face, whereas Western armies prefer to fight from the air. This allows them to save soldiers’ lives, but does not secure them from tragic mistakes that kill and wound civilians. Continue
My favorite bits:
The Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 was not a shameful escape accompanied by the hooting of the mujahadeen. The Soviet Army entered the country, accomplished its tasks — unlike the Americans in Vietnam — and returned to its motherland.
In fact, we were the first to defend Western civilization against the attacks of Muslim fanatics. No one thanked us. On the contrary, everyone was impeding our actions: The United States, NATO, Iran, Pakistan, even China.
Watching · Governor Schwarzenegger on Meet the Press
