tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087565.post7936187106535919021..comments2023-10-24T07:06:36.815-07:00Comments on Small Precautions: Modernization theory never diesNilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04220861634503974376noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087565.post-52309314868420673002009-10-20T18:39:29.449-07:002009-10-20T18:39:29.449-07:00It's insane, alright. The Vietnam analogy is a...It's insane, alright. The Vietnam analogy is appropriate, although it's hard to find a mainstream pundit who doesn't go out of his/her way to repudiate the link. Besides, it seems that the story of our failure in Vietnam in mainstream discourse these days is the "we were undone by the dirty hippies/we lost our nerve," view. We obviously didn't learn anything from that experience.<br />Of course, the perception of "victory" in Iraq has distorted the Afghanistan debate as well. <br />We don't make a whole lot of effort to understand these faraway places with backward peoples - it's just a question of the right strategy, sufficient commitment, etc. I hope Obama has the courage that LBJ didn't have....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com