After looking at the holy mess Bush has made of his invasion of Iraq, I realized that it wasn't another Vietnam. There is a much more analogous war from the same region. Afghanistan and the Soviet union. the similarites are numerous:
1) A super power invading a much smaller and weaker country
- At the time Afghanistan was rife with tribal warfare, but the moment the soviet union invaded they came together to fight a common enemy.
- The soviet Union had a huge war machine, and thought it would be a quick inexpensive war.
- The leaders of the USSR were surprised when the Afghani's did not roll over and die.
- The Afghani's knew better than to fight directly, they fought with "insurgents" and guerrillas. They fought with small weapons, found one that worked well ie: Stinger missiles Vs. the soviet helicopters, similar to IEDs vs. hum-v's and troop carriers
- Moral of the soviets and eventually their troops were horrible, and there were even people in the USSR questioning the war as there was no reason to fight the war as there was no threat from Afghanistan to the USSR. This was at a time when you took your life in your hands protesting the governemnt.
- The war eventually broke the soviet military, moral was shot, they were no longer a global super power, and indirectly this led to the downfall of their empire.
- The war almost bankrupted the soviet government.
- The soviets didn't weant to leave, but eventually reality set in, and they left with 15,000 dead troops, lost billions of dollars and not ONE THING accomplished for the betterment of their country.
- The soviets never realized that the other side was fighting for their country, and countrymen, they had everything, and nothing to lose. Just like the Iraqi's
- In the end the US helped create an fundamentalist islamic government, from a secular dictarorship.
I think that people against this war should take a closer look at the Afghani-soviet war, and use the outcome of that war as an example of where we are heading at breakneck speed, with a moronic chimpanzee at the helm. ( no disprespect for chimpanzees)