It's very common to refer to the "lessons of history" when making points about military issues. Fortunately we're not always at war which means we have to study history to practice the profession most of the time. In discussing small wars, LIC, OOTW, (whatever your term of choice) we often refer to historical examples. The members of this forum usually understand that historical "lessons" don't really exist, but many politicians and columnists do not and they frequently find so-called lessons they glean to support their argument.

It's not unusual to use historical references; even on this forum we've recently seen reverences to Vietnam, the Phillippines, and the American Indian wars, but it must be done with care. Using the US experience against American Indians points up the problem with finding lessons in (military) history for our problems today. Yes we won, and yes our wars against the Indians lasted for generations, but there were significant differences between then and now. For example, the one strategy the Indians were never able to overcome was the huge wave of people moving continuously and uncontrollably into US territories. Even Vietnam cannot be analyzed outside the context of the Cold War when China and Russia openly provided all kinds of support, and the Vietminh took advantages of (relative) safe sanctuary in Cambodia, Laos, and N. Vietnam. And this is just the beginning of listing the numerous, inter-related variables that impact the outcome of wars.

The best essay that makes this point is Michael Howard's "The Lessons of History." He makes the point that understanding history makes one better prepared for the present, however he says it's difficult to obtain lessons from history because, "the unique quality of an experience that resulted from circumstances that would never, that could never, be precisely replicated....It is safer to start with the assumption that history, whatever its value in educating the judgement, teaches no 'lessons'," After discussing the limits of history, Howard proceeds to discuss four general lessons 1) "not to generalize from false premises based on inadeuate evidence." 2) you must learn as much about the past as possible comparing it to a foreign country where you have to learn the language and assumptions before you can understand it. 3) Cope with cultural diversity. 4) the social framework in which a historian works is vulnerable. What studing does do is provide understanding that hopefully can improve judgement -- this does not mean one can list our "lessons."

This is why I smile when I see columnists and politicians refer to the "lessons of Vietnam," the "lessons of El Salvador," etc.