A more nuanced argument against war– Panama vs. Iraq
Colin Powell drew the parallel between what the US government currently seeks to do in Iraq and what a previous US government did in Panama in December of 1989. Operation Just Cause, the US “invasion” of Panama to depose Gen. Manuel Noriega, was, indeed, very similar in some ways to what the US is poised to do in Iraq. But the differences are what really matter.
Having been on hand for that particular piece of American military history, as well as operations in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will, I think I can say with certainty that (1)the invasion of Panama was hardly a shining moment in American statecraft, and (2)anything like it that we try to do in Iraq will be a god-awful mess from which we may never fully extract ourselves.
First, let's look at the similarities, because there's something to learn from them…
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Sean M. Gallagher 