“History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.”

When coalition troops withdrew from Iraq around three years ago, they supposedly left behind a trained Iraqi military. Subsequently Iraqi forces have not been able to withstand the ISIS onslaught. What is the magic bullet that is going to make the training work this time?

The problem is less that we forget, but more that we never learn.

While we’re at it, why don’t we and other nations restart up other conflicts that didn’t have a satisfactory conclusion?

Let’s take on North Vietnam again. Ditto North Korea. Britain could invade the Dardanelles and send troops to the Sudan. By the same token, Japan could send a fleet down south to meet up with the Australian and American navies in the Coral Sea. Germany could invade Poland and Russia.

The list of possibilities is endless. Come to think of it, I’ve never been happy about the Wars of the Roses.

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