Historical consensus around Iraq vs Vietnam

[TransfemmeGoreVidal]

One thing I find interesting is that while both are widely regarded as mistakes the Iraq War has in a short span of time become universally discredited among the left and right whereas even today there’s a dwindling number who believe Vietnam was justified. The reason for this it seems to me is that doctrinaire anti-communism has had a far longer shelf life for the right then the temporary post 9/11 jingoism that led to Iraq. Plausible?

[Sumner 1868]

I have to disagree with the assertion. There's actually a disturbing amount of people who defend the Iraq War in polls when asked. Axios-Ispos found 36% approval in March on the twentieth anniversary and it's hovered between the mid-thirties and the low forties ever since 2005 in Pew and Gallup polls.

I don't think the bulk of the Freedom Fries crowd will ever change their view. It does seem almost no historians outside neocons defend invading Iraq anymore, but that is not an opinion reflected by the majority of the GOP.

[TransfemmeGoreVidal]

I have to disagree with the assertion. There's actually a disturbing amount of people who defend the Iraq War in polls when asked. Axios-Ispos found 36% approval in March on the twentieth anniversary and it's hovered between the mid-thirties and the low forties ever since 2005 in Pew and Gallup polls.

I don't think the bulk of the Freedom Fries crowd will ever change their view. It does seem almost no historians outside neocons defend invading Iraq anymore, but that is not an opinion reflected by the majority of the GOP.

Damn, I honestly was under the impression that Republicans in the Trump era had pivoted towards running away from the neocons and trying to equate them with the Democrats. Maybe I’ve given them too much credit for ideological coherence.

[darklordoftech]

Maybe because Vietnam veterans and Republicans kept the “We would have won Vietnam if it wasn’t for hippies spitting on soliders” narrative going while Republicans quickly started blaming Democrats for Iraq?

[Libertas Vel Mors]

I wouldn't be shocked if in 40 years the Iraq War is remembered positively, but with more support from Democrats than Republicans. As of 2023, the Iraq War did result in the replacement of a really bad and evil government with a better and democratic government, and probably helped American national security interests in the region. It was still a bad move because the benefits were marginal enough to not justify the extraordinary costs and loss of life, but in a world in which Democrats are more "internationalist" in their outlook and favor greater foreign intervention (which seems likely if the current trend of polarization along social trust lines continues) it seems totally plausible the historical consensus surrounding the Iraq War could be quite positive.

[MABA 2020]

I wouldn't be shocked if in 40 years the Iraq War is remembered positively, but with more support from Democrats than Republicans. As of 2023, the Iraq War did result in the replacement of a really bad and evil government with a better and democratic government, and probably helped American national security interests in the region. It was still a bad move because the benefits were marginal enough to not justify the extraordinary costs and loss of life, but in a world in which Democrats are more "internationalist" in their outlook and favor greater foreign intervention (which seems likely if the current trend of polarization along social trust lines continues) it seems totally plausible the historical consensus surrounding the Iraq War could be quite positive.

Democrats becoming pro-Iraq War would be very depressing, however I don't think this will happen even with the trend towards internationalism. The war will still be associated with a failed Republican administration unless Bush is also somehow rehabilitated which would be unbearable.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Given the time spacing of a war every 10 years after WW2, it would appear that the US are keeping their armed forces fit and primed for the big one.

Korea
Vietnam
Iraq
Iraq 2.0
Afghanistan

Hopefully the next one is not Russia, but all of those listed are near Russia.

[dead0man]

I'm not saying we should have, but there were good reasons to go to war with both countries when we did and, I always like to point out, the US military did what was asked of them very well both times.  It was the politicians who failed the country/world in both cases.