Would foreign intervention have helped?
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Alan: In my lifetime, two rules have emerged in foreign policy.
Vietnam demonstrated that it is foolhardy to intervene in a Civil War.
Iraq demonstrated that it is foolhardy to start a Civil War.
Utilitarian Americans believe there is a solution to every problem and it probably involves violence.
Civil Wars are not resolved by foreign intervention.
To believe otherwise is to prove that "Failure IS an option."
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"But the U.S. has a poor track record of taking or keeping control in areas such as Iraq and Libya for extended periods, experiences that underscore the risks of depending on moderate rebels in Syria and state security forces in Iraq. Relying on local forces and eschewing the use of American combat troops has become a favorite strategy of President Barack Obama as a way to reduce the risk of being dragged into a protracted foreign conflict. But some defense officials and experts say that approach also can heighten the risk of failure. In Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and elsewhere, results have been mixed at best." Julian E. Barnes and Siobhan Gorman in The Wall Street Journal
Again...
Would foreign intervention have helped?
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