When talking about the 'war' (GWOT, Iraq, Afghanistan), the tendency is to jump back and forth between Vietnam and Iraq. I suspect we're losing a lot of insight because there is a whole string of armed conflicts between those two that should be examined as well.
Iraq is/isn't Vietnam - how someone reacts to that pairing says something about them. BUT, there's a string of, call them data points, that offer a broader spectrum.
I don't have time to more than lay them out because I've got to leave for work - but I think there is some fruitful discussion material here.
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Okay. Here's a list of conflicts. I'll put them up and consider them against these questions:
1) Where were our current political leaders, pundits, and political strategists during these? (Both sides)
2) What role did the U.S. play?
3) Was the outcome sucessful for the U.S?
4) What, if any, lessons could be taken away from each and..
5) How do they apply to where we are today?
Conflicts:
Grenada
Panama
El Salvador
Nicaragua
The Falklands
The Balkans
Ruwanda
Liberia
Congo
Somalia
Feel free to suggest other candidates and questions. Discuss away! I'll be back much, much later.