|
The key question for me is if the US would be willing to accept whoever it is that the Iraqis choose when they finally have an election. (It seems to me that the US and Iraqi visions of the kind of ruler an government they'd like to have are not the same.) And if not, how the US would react. This is the scenario in which nightmarish Vietnam-like scenarios come to mind for me.
Or, if Iraq's election goes ugly and large-scale violence breaks out between groups within Iraq -- would the US take a side? That could also have horrific results.
In its current state, I think that Iraq and Vietnam can be compared not in terms of how many people are dying or how ugly the situation in the country is, but instead in terms of the deceptive tactics employed by the government to support its overseas adventures.
|