Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- October 7, 2011

U.S. soldiers and Afghan border patrolmen establish a perimeter line while providing security during a patrol outside Forward Operating Base Curry in Paktika province, Afghanistan, Sept. 20, 2011. U.S. Army photo by Spc. George Hunt

A Decade, Yes, But Afghanistan NOT America's Longest War By Most Measures -- Otto Kreisher, Aol Defense

As the war in Afghanistan passed its tenth anniversary this week, many news outlets repeated the frequently repeated claim that the conflict there has replaced Vietnam as America's longest war. That is a questionable assertion.

Even if you count only from the first "official" U.S. combat operations in Vietnam -- the Gulf of Tonkin air strikes on Aug. 5, 1964 -- until the last American troops fled Saigon on April 30, 1975, the U.S. military was involved in Vietnam for 10 years, eight months.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

God's soldiers: Pakistan army's ideology -- Praveen Swami, The Hindu

Saudis crush dissent and point finger at Iran for trouble in eastern province -- Ian Black, The Guardian

On Syria, Sovereignty Comes First for Southern Democracies -- Nikolas Gvosdev, WPR

How Often do Palestinians Have to Spell Out Their Goal? -- Evelyn Gordon, Commentary

Obama abandoning interest in Syria -- Tony Badran, NOW Lebanon

Building resistance to China’s dams. Export of hydropower projects triggering local backlash. -- Brahma Chellaney, The Washington Times

Putin enters the dragon's den -- M K Bhadrakumar, Asia Times

Execution by secret WH committee -- Glenn Greenwald, Slate

The Trouble With Greece -- New York Times editorial

Here we go again. The Europeans are pushing the global banking system to the edge -- The Economist

Bank of England hits the panic button -- Jeremy Warner, The Telegraph

Occupied Wall Street, Seen From Abroad -- Anne-Marie Slaughter, New York Times