Vietnam war affected US planning for Iraq - John Reid

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Source: BBC

The "failures of Vietnam" hampered the US in planning for the post-conflict reconstruction of Iraq, the UK inquiry to the war has heard.

Former Defence Secretary John Reid said this "terrible mistake" meant that military chiefs "weren't thinking of detailed nation-building". But, he added, the US forces quickly learned their lesson and were now "ahead of" the UK in this respect.

Mr Reid became defence secretary in May 2005, two years after the invasion.

The insurgency was growing at the time, although Mr Reid said the danger of "civil war" had been exaggerated, and the British press had been "salivating at the prospect".


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8495044.stm