Is History repeating itself?

The last week or so of reporting on the situation in Iraq has brought out the V word quite a bit. Commentators, editorialists, reporters and the average Joe and Jane alike, all whispering or shouting that this is becoming just another Vietnam.

Now the situation there is far too serious to deal with in a single blog entry, (no silver bullet so to speak, using the vernacular of the day) but there is quite a bit of interesting material out there. Some fine work to help one get a better understanding of the various intangibles in that fluid situation. To just lump it off as another Vietnam just doesn’t seem to give history it’s due.

Perhaps our vision should go back a little further than just the sixties. For the latest violent turn in Babylon is really a reprise of the 20’s. At least that is the theory of a respected British columnist, Niall Ferguson.

He offers up a fascinating study on the mind set in Washington and how the powers that be, have prosecuted the war thus far. What templates they’ve been using for the future and how they’ve discarded the past without even a second glance.

For those Americans (and Canadians) that can’t look any further back in time than the Vietnam War, the article is a well documented exploration of past empires gone awry. In fact it was in 1917 that a British General occupied Baghdad and proclaimed that “our armies do not come into your cities and lands, as conquerors or enemies, but liberators”. Sound at all familiar?

Within two months Iraq was engulfed in full fledged rebellion, Shi’ites, Sunnis and Kurds uniting together to make life a living hell for the British. History seems hell bent to repeat itself, less than 90 years later. Unfortunately, it would appear that no one has given any thought to learning from the past, to prevent a horrible future.

The article is a worthwhile read for a bit of perspective on what the US and it’s coalition allies could face, indeed what could be ahead for anyone with an interest in the situation of Iraq. It’s a great primer for those that want to get a bit of background on the roots of conflict, a solid indication to the truthfulness of the axiom that “those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.”