What have we learned from invading Iraq?

Answer 1

Hopefully we have learned.
1) Our military can take any target, but occupying it is another matter.
2) The plans of what to do once we take the target should be thought out longer, farther in advance and in more detail than the attack plan.
3) Political change cannot be advance though military might alone.
4) We have again (see Vietnam) underestimated the ability of the enemy to occupy the hearts and minds of the local people.
5) Throwing money at companies to build or rebuild infrastructure is a waste of money if,
a) we don't protect the construction company and employees
b) we don't visit the sites to verify construction has been completed per specs.
c) we don't protect the finished construction just to see the insurgents blow it up.
6) Politicians should not be allowed to make any military decisions, once the plans is in place, the military must be allowed to fight the war it needs to in a manner that can allow them to win.
7) Round up all the religious leaders as soon as you take the country and get them under your control. The rabid radicals religious leaders should be removed from the country immediately.
8) Iraq as a country did not exist before the British artificially created it. As a result, there is no national unity because it has not existed in its current form historically. Instead of trying to keep the status quo, we should have acknowledged that fact, split the country into three states and one nation. All money from oil would be divided between the states, but the military would be national in scope and the states would not be allowed to arm themselves. This way the Sunnies, Shiites and Kurds would have their own territory.

Answer 2

That if we are going to invade the Middle East, we need to do a TIGHT grip on the civilians. That is the only thing they are used to, and it is the only way to do it. Bush went in too pansy, he should not have given them a democracy, but rather declared martial law.

Answer 3

Learned our Cold war tactics will not cut it any more. The common soldier will have to be more than just a soldier. He will need to be a policeman too.

Our tactics are changing of course but it takes time. Just look at all the previous wars and tactics. It is ever evolving.

Answer 4

We learned that Osama Bin Laden was right, the American people don't have the will to win a war anymore. The US is a paper tiger that doesn't have the stomach or the good sense to defend itself.

Answer 5

When invading a country or starting a war, always reinstate the draft first.

Answer 6

I support the war effort, but I think lesson number one is that we can't fight a war effectively without broad public support.

Unfortunately, maybe we have to wait until AFTER we are attacked next time. Goodbye, New York and DC! I hope I'm wrong.

Answer 7

That Americans are gullable. That we still shouldn't interfere with a region that has fought in the name of Allah since before Christianity. #1 Find our own oil or sources of energy.

Answer 8

That we can deplete our military in just 3 years! That pseudo intellectuals with a political agenda skewed toward the interest of a nation other than the US, should be kicked out of our government. That the press should not forget that its most valuable function is as a watchdog for freedom.

Answer 9

That you can't quell 6000 years of religious warfare in 3 years and that liberals are unsupportive to soldiers during wartime. They have better things to concern themselves with like making sure our cars can run off corn byproduct and worry about global warming, the imaginary evil.

Answer 10

Not to invade Iran.