| > and the problem really never left - it simply shifted to Syria. I think the reason that some say that the Iraq war was never won is because they keep moving the goalposts from the stated mission during 2003. Make Iraqi military surrender check Overthrow Saddam Hussein check Eliminate al-qaeda leadership in Iraq check Establish new leader check Establish a democratic system check Levels of sectarian violence are also low nowadays as a bonus. Did this all take longer than estimated. Yes, but all are objectively completed. The debate is not whether the war was won, but whether it was worth winning which is kind of what you are starting to get into. Anyway, nothing much more to be done in Iraq. It is up to the Iraqi people to now decide their destiny for good or ill. >You're overrating the "logistic capability" of the US here. The US used its network of allies for staging into these regions. Without that network, it would've been much more costly and difficult. A network of bases in ally regions is a part of logistical capability. >In a war against a real state actor (like China), the US would not be able to operate with impunity. Simply knocking out 2 or 3 capital ships would devastate the US capability to project force. They could, but China has never actually demonstrated capability of doing so. The only time we have seen China in a modern fight was during the Sino-Vietnamese War. They did not fair too well with their next door neighbor. They also haven't been able to test any of their technology since then while the US at least has been able to test some of theirs except their newest big tech. Also, I don't see US using a fullout assault on China, but more so an embargo meant to starve the China of food and energy imports. China in it's current state would not be able to deal with that. There is no clear benefit to war anyway so I don't see China and the US getting into a direct war. China fighting with one of it's neighbors and the US helping with supplies, resources, and money is the much more likely scenario. |