There’s a funny rhyming or symmetry to Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine and America’s 2003 Iraq debacle.
Both Moscow and Washington justified war as “liberation,” “protecting minorities,” and even “de-Nazification.” The Donbas region, supporting anti-Saddam liberals, the Azov battalion, and sending Iraqi girls to college can all be mixed and matched.
Both invasions also started out with spectacular “shock and awe” campaigns. In 2003, many analysts warned of Iraq’s military’s prowess, not to mention WMDs. Last night, I was amazed at the speed of the Ukrainian military’s collapse, barely putting up a fight.
Washington, infamously, never factored in a long-term, religious and nationalist insurgency (“we’ll be greeted as liberators,” “Mission Accomplished!”).
We’ll see what happens in Ukraine. If recent history is any guide, this will not go smoothly in the coming years.
We’ll see what happens in Ukraine. If recent history is any guide, this will not go smoothly in the coming years.
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