The failure of the US to win over public support in South Vietnam during that conflict with its Winning Hearts and Minds Operations (bearing the unfortunate acronym WHAMO) in a nation without the ethno/religious divides of Iraq certainly does not bode well for its chance of success today. It’s certainly a tall order to present themselves as the good guys in Iraq to people who have lost everything. It harks back again to Vietnam with the often quoted justification by a US Army Colonel regarding the pulverizing of the city of My Tho during the Tet Offensive 1968: "We had to destroy the town to save it".
Will the US destroy Iraq to "save" it? With all the talk of breaking it up into Sunni, Shia, and Kurd mini-states, it is a possibility that may by a reality.

Grn: "It's already been shown that America's perceived reluctance to strike back decisively after terrorists attacks in the 1990s, such as the attack on the USS Cole, encouraged them to go for bigger targets and ultimately paved the way for September 11."

Grn, this is so simple as to be misleading. Where has it been "shown."

What strike back could be effective? If it's against Islamist governments, then I can't help but wonder if that would be any deterrent to terrorist action - especially given that failed states without government are more likely to provide sanctuary for terrorist activities.

If you're suggesting more of a police operation rather than an invasion, I hardly see how that in any ways would support actions of Iraq or Afghanistan - it suggests that both were the incorrect way to react.

I like this article - no preaching from the left or right, just a pretty sobering analysis of history.

You could start by reading the 911 Commission report.

Invading Afghanistan was a no brainer, as the Americans would say.

The illegitimate, brutal theocratic regime that was ruling Afghanistan was harboring a terrorist organisation, which planned and trained for the 911 attacks on its soil.

Overthrowing that regime was the moral thing to do. You can argue over how competently it was executed. But I don't see how anyone can seriously argue it shouldn't have been attempted.

The BBC and the ABC have shown time and time again that they are prepared to take up the propaganda war. They have been hijacked by the left who loathe the freedoms that the West have enjoyed for a long time. They champion their anti Christian causes and then have the nerve to turn villians into victims. Their bias against Israels right to exist is obvious to anyone who has listened in over a period of time. Israel is often painted as the terroist while suicide bombers daily kill innocent people. None of the left want to go and live in Islamic or socialist run countries but they seem to champion their cause.

grn seems to be similar to the Muslims he mocks as being brainwashed. Don't you understand that both sides brainwash their people? When left to their own devices, in one on one situations, an equilibrium is usually found. The 1914 Christmas Truce is an example, where soldiers, ordinary men on both sides, stopped shooting long enough to celebrate Christmas, exchange food, cigarettes and so forth. They realised that they were just like each other, fighting a war they both thought was right. The truce didn't happen in the following years because the brass made sure that fraternisation was punished as treason, with the penalty of death in wartime, and the war had totally changed in character by 1916. But it really scared the brass. What if the soldiers refused to fight?

When you see the enemy in such simplistic, brutal, inhuman terms, its much easier to kill him and bomb his god-damn home! Where HIS family lives! Funny, isn't that why HE'S the enemy? Because he bombs our homes? Would you resist an occupying army or would you collaborate?Why do you think YOU were shown those images of beheadings and hangings? Most Muslims are just ordinary people. "Walk a mile in another man's moccasins."

There are fanatics and deceivers on both sides. "An eye for an eye just leaves the whole world blind"

The Seppos are not losing the hearts and minds. They have already lost them. You can't go on killing, maiming, torturing, murdering, bombing, and raping the people your supposed to be saving, and expect their support.