Unfolding events in Iraq have prompted some observers to
make analogies to the American experience in the Vietnam War.
The United States has, they argue, stumbled into another overseas
"quagmire" from which there is no easy or cheap exit.
Reasoning by historical analogy is an inherently risky business
because no two historical events are completely alike and because
policymakers' knowledge and use of history are often distorted
by ignorance and political bias. In the case of Iraq and Vietnam,
extreme caution should be exercised in comparing two wars so far
apart in time, locus, and historical circumstances. In fact, a careful
examination of the evidence reveals that the differences between the
two confl icts greatly outnumber the similarities. This is especially
true in the strategic and military dimensions of the two wars. There
is simply no comparison between the strategic environment, the
scale of military operations, the scale of losses incurred, the quality
of enemy resistance, the role of enemy allies, and the duration of
combat.

use of history = lessons learned from history?