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To: ChanceIs who wrote (241521)3/19/2010 12:30:35 PM
From: ajtj99Respond to of 306849
 
In most wars the US has fought successfully US involvement was completed in 4-years or less.

The Civil War
Spanish/American War
WWI
WWII
Korea

The Revolutionary War was an insurgency, and it took 8-years to win.

It seems once you get beyond the 4-year mark the odds of success diminish.

For example, if the US withdrew completely from Iraq today it is likely a civil war would begin.

As for Afghanistan, the vast majority of the economy is predicated on the heroin trade. People who believe it needs to be stopped at the source would probably condemn about 3/4 of the population to starvation, as alternative crops earn 75-80% less than what poppy farming does in income, and most poppy farmers are now just getting by on their earnings.

As for democracy, it cannot work without rule of law. Respect for rule of law must come first. Democracy differs from other forms of government in that it typically mandates respect and equal rights for the economically weak people through law. Rule of law is a bridge towards that end, but it takes time for a culture to evolve towards accepting it. Typically economic development and better education help this process along, with a middle class essential for a permanent and thriving true democratic government.

It is also not reasonable to assume a strong national democratic government can take root in countries where first allegiance is to a tribe, second is to your religion, and last is to your country.