Over the Horizon in Iraq

Michael Gove has a good column in today’s London Times about Iraq’s post-election prospects. He points out that the international news media see all conflict through the lens of Vietnam:

There is a particular point at which knowledge appears to end and a huge black hole begins. It seems to occur somewhere in the 1960s. The specific event beyond which most commentators now find it difficult to see is the Vietnam War.

For many reasons, which Gove summarizes succinctly, the Iraq conflict has little or nothing in common with Vietnam. What is most significant are the grounds Gove sees for optimism about Iraq’s future:

In contrast to insurgents who are either nostalgic for Saddam

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