Vietnam still awaits us. Maybe it's Iran, or Syria, or even Pakistan.
If The US is in a collision course with the Middle East, and the wider Islamic world, example: Capturing Bin Laden will require even more bloodshed, then I reckon Iraq was merely the opening shot in a wider problem.
If we are serious about capturing Bin Laden, and continuing what Clinton and Obama call the War on Terror, it will probably require Pakistan melting down at the very least. If we leave Iraq, as I believe we must, Iran has that state as a Satellite. Can policy wonks in the US possibly accept that given what we do know about their world view? No they will somehow trick us into staying permanently.
Korea was fought at the beginning of the Cold war, and resulted in a very bloody stalemate. Much worse in terms of bloodshed than Vietnam. It also took place at a time when the British were fighting in Malaysia and Indonesia and the French were involved in a death struggle in Indochina. It was Truman's opening move in the little wars that dominated the Cold War. But it certainly wasn't the last war that the US got into and it certainly wasn't the only war raging at the time.
Very soon the US inherited the war that France was losing in Indochina, fortunatly the British were able to clear up the fighting in Malaya and Indonesia without too much fanfare and US troops were not required to step in.
As Korea wound down, a new war was ramping up: in the late 50s Eisenhower deployed small contingents of Advisors to Vietnam, then in the 60's Kennedy dispatching Special Forces to Vietnam and LBJ later committing conventional arms to seal the deal.
We are somewhere in the late 50s in terms of the US government's struggle with the Middle East and the Islamic world.
There are two areas, in addition to Iraq, that I can identify as spots that the US will have conventional arms stationed in the next decade. Pakistan and Somalia--two hot beds of fighting.
I have a nasty feeling that the US has "covert" special forces and other assets in Pakistan and Somalia already. When the Ethiopians collapse in Somalia the US will return there. When the Pakistani's finally have their civil war or if the US seriously pursues Bin Laden we will see GI's in the North West Frontier. We may even see them in Karachi and RAwalpindi and other areas.
It's depressing.
Sorry to depress all of you.