I was reading an article today in Military Review. Comparing the policies and outcomes practiced politically and military by the US in Germany after 1945 against Iraq from 2003-onwards vs. the German occupation of France 1940-1944.

However, as a perspective model for regime change and restructuring, I found France 1940-1944 to be the most interesting due to the parallels between Iraq to France during the Second World War. For example, rapid invasion and defeat, stark underlying social and political differences in society, anti-democratic and sectarian undercurrents etc, just among the few similarities that can be drawn.

In addition, could this instance from history provide possible lessons for state building, regime change, and nation restructuring? As the German occupation of France during WWII largely left the French to the day to day including the pre-existing governance and most enforcement(despite occupying most of the French heartland), including tolerating participation of individuals and entities with differing opinions across the spectrum so much as they didn't stand in the way of German objectives(this excluded Jews, Communists, many Republicans). All of which were taken in much part to avoid agitating the various elements and French society as a whole.

Overall, the German's it could said maintained the French state as it largely existed before the invasion, while directly influencing it to meet their needs. As well as partitioning France early on, to meet earlier objectives and reuniting the country to ensure ones later on.

While in comparison, the US-led invasion and nation-building venture in Iraq attempted to create n entirely new state from the ground up, without much regard to the existing, underlying, political cleavages and issues in Iraq pre-invasion.

Sorry if this all appears a little jumbled obvious, or even doesn't make sense as I was just drawing conclusions from the article I read.

Also here is the article,

http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/Military...831_art009.pdf

So any opinions?