ABSTRACT
The present wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are being fought in the historical shadows of World War II and Vietnam. In an attempt to eschew the complicated legacy of the Cold War, President George W. Bush attempted to cast the Iraq War in light of the “good war” of World War II. However, as the conflict in Iraq stalled, Bush and his advisers were left to deal with a war that had come to resemble Vietnam. Complicating matters further, American policymakers and the military are conducting the war in Iraq even as the complicated legacies of Vietnam, ranging from the end of the draft to debates over the role of the military in counterinsurgency, have come to a head.
