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June 16, 2014

The Tragedy Wasn’t Invading Iraq, It Was Not Finishing the Job

The real tragedy in Iraq is that coalition efforts at regime change were too limited and piecemeal, too half-hearted and too confused in purpose.
The WWII allies reduced their opponents to prostration and unconditional surrender, then occupied and ruled them for years, completely and fundamentally liberalizing, democratizing, and remodeling their cultures along our own lines. We attempted no such thing in Iraq, instead deluding ourselves with fantasies of being welcomed as liberators by friendly natives and trusting that the gift of democracy would in itself suffice to convert murderous and bigoted Mussulmen into bourgeois liberals.
Never Yet Melted

Posted by gerardvanderleun at June 16, 2014 10:43 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

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