CLONMMEL HOTSPOT -- John Robb rephrases David Halberstam and explains concisely why the American invasion of Iraq differs considerably from the Vietnam War.
In Vietnam, our enemy was essentially a nationalist movement. When we left, the victors focused their efforts on running their newly won country. In Iraq it is different. It's worse. Islam is aflame. By going into Iraq, we have turned ourselves into the lightning rod for everything that is wrong in the Middle East. The focus is on us, reinforced in real-time by global non-western media. At some point in the near future, we will leave Iraq. However it won't end there like Vietnam. This time, they will follow us back.
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