Too_Many_Tools wrote:
"
F. George McDuffee wrote:
George Santayana built his career as historian on his
observation "those who will learn nothing from history are bound
to repeat it."


Unfortunately, learning from history does not prevent repeating it.


This is an important difference and not logic chopping because if
you have an actual country such as France or Czechoslovakia, the
people are more or less pacified, and not particularly restive.
The odds are good that you can "conquer" the country by simply
occupying the capital and using the existing governmental
structures to rule.


Obviously, Czechoslovakia is not a good example of an "actual country."


David "


Obviously, Iraq is not a good example of an "actual country" either.

Actually, Iraq and Czechoslovakia are very similar. Both were an
artificial country imposed by outsiders on a geographic area with two or
more very diverse peoples.