History Scorned

With so much to learn from history, why do we choose to ignore the lessons of the past? Is it a form of agnosticism? Is it egotism? Is it denial. The stink of wars has been well documented, yet we perfume our own wars with “ eau de patriotism”. The chasm between Islam and Christianity has been known for centuries, yet we insist on donning the armor of a crusader. The failures of nation building fill volumes of writings, yet we persist in trying to carve out nations in our own image. Misadventures in the Middle East are nothing new, yet we insist in perpetuating our own misadventure as a mission for democracy. History tells us that the Iraq War will never result in “ mission accomplished”. History tells us we may be able to declare a military victory but never a political victory. The Iraq War is eating away at the fabric of this country as a great democracy. Its time for an exit plan before we stand naked before the world.