Re: The grim realities of rebuilding Iraq
published in International Herald Tribune on December 30, 2004
The editorial “The grim realities of rebuilding Iraq” (Dec.22) reminds me of the circumstances of the Vietnam War and offers the same message. Fighting a full-scale insurgency, on foreign turf without widespread support from all major segments of the local population portends an unfortunate outcome for the Americans.
Is history repeating itself? Have we learned nothing from Vietnam? Legions of occupying forces have experienced the same fate throughout history. The principles of democracy ca only arise from forces within a community and never be imposed by a foreign occupancy.
Peter M. Lutterbeck @ January 7, 2008