In Iraq, in contrast, a minority within the Sunni minority is fighting to restore a very unpopular dictatorial regime. Unlike Algeria, the vast majority of the population opposes them.
A better analogy would be Malaya, where a small group of extremists tried to seize control - and lost.
"The analogy to Algeria doesn't work at all. France literally annexed Algeria into metropolitan France, carving it into three Departments. But only 10% of the population was European and they refused to extend French citizenship to the Muslims. So, after WWII the Muslims fought a guerrilla war for independence. Duh.
In Iraq, in contrast, a minority within the Sunni minority is fighting to restore a very unpopular dictatorial regime. Unlike Algeria, the vast majority of the population opposes them.
A better analogy would be Malaya, where a small group of extremists tried to seize control - and lost."
Good point. Many including myself, say we would have been well on our way to true victory if we had killed or imprisoned Al Sadr, dispersed the Mahdi army when they were 700 instead of 10,000 and sent clear message to Iran through black-opps keep out pay the price.