Originally Posted by
Dayuhan
Late to the table, but a few points...
The idea of "good governance" is something we need to approach with caution, because all too often we assume that our idea of good governance is universal, which it is not. We tend to think that good governance can be achieved with a structural solution that provides all groups with input into the political process and protects the rights and interests of all groups. When the groups in question define good governance as "we rule and they die", the result is a fairly fatal degree of dissonance.
A discussion of what's been lacking in recent American military excursions abroad would necessarily be long and wide-ranging, but to me one critical and often overlooked deficiency is clarity of purpose. We never seem entirely clear on what we are trying to achieve, or why, or for whom. Our goals change in midstream, and we often seem to get tied up in believing our own rhetoric. Nations use force to achieve political goals, and victory is won when the goals are achieved. If the goals are uncertain, ephemeral, or aspirational, victory is unlikely from the start.