hmm

I've been a bit lazy about posting this week, but I've thought of a question that interests me, what is the best historical parallel for understanding what what wrong with our invasion of Iraq?

One of my pet personal projects at school and in my own mind has been trying to use historical analysis and case studies to try to understand current events, under the theory that human nature is roughly a constant, despite the varieties of individuals and cultures that might alter how that nature is expressed.

So back to the question at hand, what previous conflict provides the best metaphor for understanding this current mess? I've been reading a very interesting book on the history of irregular warfare through the ages titled "War in the Shadows" by Robert B. Asprey in which he (briefly) explores most of the notable examples of guerrilla warfare over the period from Alexander the Great to the defeat of the Nationalist in China and the end of the Civil War there. So far I've not been struck by any particularly vivid parallels, though I'm only up to the World War II in the Pacific at the moment.

If anyone is actually reading this and can think of a promising analogy I would be greatly interested to hear (read) of it