Military personnel, believed to be Russian servicemen, march outside the territory of a Ukrainian military unit in the village of Perevalnoye outside Simferopol, March 4, 2014. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili
Putin Learning What U.S. Didn’t -- Nicholas Wapshott, Reuters
After America’s ignominious defeat and hurried departure from Vietnam in 1973 — when the world’s richest and mightiest nation was humbled by the stolid determination of ill-equipped, ideologically inspired peasants — it was generally assumed the United States would not wage war again until the lessons of the Viet Cong victory were taken to heart.
When Soviet forces hastily retreated with a bloody nose from their nine-year occupation of Afghanistan in 1989, similar lessons were suggested about the impossibility of militarily holding a country with a universally hostile population.
In his stealth occupation of Crimea and eastern Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin of Russia appears to have learned the lessons of both Vietnam and Afghanistan.
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My Comment: The U.S. actually did learn the lessons of Vietnam and Afghanistan .... one has to only look at how the U.S. was able to overthrow the Taliban regime in Afghanistan after 9/11. In total .... the Taliban were overthrown by about 300 U.S. special forces and CIA contractors, their Afghan allies, tons of cash, and U.S. air support that was directed by these special ops at those Taliban elements that did not surrender .... an operation that lasted just over two months. The problem was after the conflict .... a problem that I suspect that the Russians will not repeat in Crimea .... i.e. minimize the military footprint, support your allies, and give aid but closely monitor it for corruption.