Ever since we reneged on the decision Kennedy made to pull out of VietNam by Johnson, we've thought continually we were dealing with another defeated Japan or defeated Germany --the enemy population would just comply to our wishes, so we kept on thinking we could "turn them into replicas of American government"
This thinking has undermined our actions in every major war since then, with the exception of GWI. Gulf War One, we went in, did the job and got out. I'm not sure we should have gone in in the first place, but at least we didn't try to artificially change the government there.
It's disheartening to see the admins of Bush and Obama arrogantly and foolishly pursuing a transformational goal. It does not work.
A nation has to work out its own problems for itself. They have to experience an organic, sometimes violent, process of progression toward democracy for themselves.
Let's go back to congress needing to authorize wars and give them sole war-powers with the exception of immediate threats.
This thinking has undermined our actions in every major war since then, with the exception of GWI. Gulf War One, we went in, did the job and got out. I'm not sure we should have gone in in the first place, but at least we didn't try to artificially change the government there.
It's disheartening to see the admins of Bush and Obama arrogantly and foolishly pursuing a transformational goal. It does not work.
A nation has to work out its own problems for itself. They have to experience an organic, sometimes violent, process of progression toward democracy for themselves.
Let's go back to congress needing to authorize wars and give them sole war-powers with the exception of immediate threats.