John Dumbrell, Professor of Politics at Leicester University, and David Ryan, of the History Department at University College, Cork, have edited a collection of essays on the similarities and differences between the Vietnam and Iraq wars. They describe the lessons learned, and not learned, and show the Vietnam War's continuing legacy in US politics, culture and diplomacy. In particular, the essays show how the Vietnam War induced a populist challenge to élite control of strategy.

The essays show major similarities between the Vietnam and Iraq wars. As in Vietnam, the occupying force's position is desperate. The war is unjust and unwinnable. The Bush government lacks international support. The USAF conducts ever more air strikes, unmentioned in the major newspapers, unshown on TV. The insurgency continues, fuelled US military suppression of the Palestinian people only fuels terrorism. As with Vietnam, some elements in the US and British states want to solve the problem attack Iran now, attack Cambodia then.

The Vietnam and Iraq wars were both wars of choice not necessity - and bad choices at that, wars of aggression, unwise and reckless.