The british left India for a lot of reasons, but in my opinion the INA revolt , and the subsequent trials, leading to mass mobilization and military defections indicated the British couldn't hold India. As for our misplaced adventure in Iraq and unrealistic goals in Afghanistan the world should question our judgment and lack of strategic foresight. The events playing out now were pretty much predicted by people who understood the region. In my opinion Bush Jr didn't have half the wisdom of his father and we and the rest of the worldwill be paying a high price for that hubris for a long time. U.S. forforeign policy is too elitist, too coercive, non-compromising, and excessively preachy. Oddly it is very much at odds with the American people in many cases. You shouldn't judge us by our policies alone when you think about American contributions to the world.