Overall, your post makes perfect sense. Hindsight and all that...
But -- I don't get the part about "but your entire country ... will simply cease to exist." I mean, they don't have a country. We are not fighting any nation that I know of. We are not at war with Iraq, we are not at war with Afghanistan. This is the ugly advantage that Al Qaeda has over us. They are active in nations all over the world. Sixty at last count.
But we MUST keep in mind that Iraq is the "central battlefield in the war on terror" -- because Al Qaeda chose that battlefield. They have to travel there from other countries in order to fight with us. We have to hope they continue to show up -- so we have someone to fight with and can inflict some casualties on them.
But -- I don't get the part about "but your entire country ... will simply cease to exist."
Words and names have meaning and symbolic power all their own.
There are still countries named Afghanistan and Iraq. They still have the same physical territories and peoples. The Taliban will alway be a part of Afghan history books, Saddam Hussein will always be a part of Iraqi history books.
When those countries are replaced by new countries with people regarding themselves as something other than Afghanis or Iraqis the defeat of the Taliban and Saddam will be complete.
Nothing in this prevents Kurdistan, Sunnistan, and Shiiastan from continuing to act as Roach Hotels for jihadist, each fighting against those who just aren't Islamist enough.
Nice guy that I am, I'm even willing to arm all sides and keep them stirred up until they break their own and each other's wills to fight.