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Article: This war is just like ... World War I ... World War II ... Vietnam?; Many historical analogies to Kosovo are being invoked. But the lessons of war are full of land mines.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- May 6, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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1/3 An old gag says that the generals always fight the last war. Listening to the discussion of the war over Kosovo it seems as if the generals, the politicians and their critics are trying to fight the last 10 wars.
As a history enthusiast, I must applaud the desire to to learn lessons from wars past and apply them to the current undeclared unpleasantness. But the exercise is hideously tricky. Which are the right wars? What are the right lessons and how best to apply them?
There are no right answers. Anyone attempting the exercise should proceed with caution and humility. No two wars are identical twins and over-reliance on one analogy has ...