“I’ve wondered if the Iraq invasion wasn’t a way to enclose Iran in a pincer when we eventually entered Afghanistan.”
I remember discussion of that idea, back at that time.
But that presumed we had the strategy, tactics, political will to see it through with enough firepower to conquer, dominate and occupy both places.
It soon turned out to not be our plan. Our plan turned out to be “win the hearts and minds” and rely on (unreliable) local forces.
In hindsight we seem to have learned to not try to conquer/dominate/occupy certain hostile countries, to fight terrorism.
We appear to have NOT learned to import refugees from hostile countries.
To your first point, I think that keeping Iranian forces split east and west... and maybe a force in the south against tha Saudis, would keep them on the sidelines completely. Keeping insurgents out seemed to be impossible.As to the “hearts and minds,” I suppose we figured that Itaqis might prefer freedom to tyranny. In hindsight, Saddam’s methods may have been better suited to controlling a population with deep sectarian differences. Finally, I think Saddam calculated that we lacked the political will to see the whole thing through. In the long run,he may be correct. And allowing potential insurgents into America may prove to be our undoing.