'So many people died'

'So many people died'

For all the ink spilt in tortured comparisons about whether Afghanistan is "Obama's Vietnam", and likewise Iraq as a repeat of the American debacle in Southeast Asia, there is one way the analogy really does apply: misery for local nationals. Civilian suffering of the kind experienced by Vietnamese is the defining characteristic of modern war, even if only rarely whispered in the halls of power. - Nick Turse (Jan 9, '13)http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/OA10Ae02.html