Balkans vs. Iraq
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Overview
The following is a comparison of the 1994 Balkan Intervention under Bill Clinton and the 2003 Invasion of Iraq under George W. Bush.
Points
Source: War in the 21st Century by David Brin
| BALKANS INTERVENTION | WAR IN IRAQ |
| A brutal dictator toppled. | A brutal dictator toppled. |
| No American lives lost. | 1000+ American lives lost, and more to come. |
| Competent aftermath; rapid economic & social recoveries. | Incompetent aftermath; Iraq falls to resentful ruin. |
| A Western Alliance strengthened. | A Western Alliance in shambles. |
| Intervention justified on its merits. | Lies, damned lies and Tonkin Gulf-level lies. |
| Readiness levels preserved. | Plummeting readiness: a military used-up. |
| American consensus preserved. | America bitterly divided & weakened. |
| World acceptance of US moral leadership increased. | World acceptance of US moral leadership nosedives. |
| Credibility & friendships in the Muslim world increased. | Saudi-financed pan-Islamic coalescence into Jihad. |
| Success; Europe at peace after 4,000 years. | Failure; we repeat every insanity of Vietnam. |