Reply #15: Or read Thucydides straight up

[mobuto]

Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian war is very readable, and its extremely chilling. The only problem is that every generation for decades has seen parallels in it (and everybody, always, identifies with Athens). But its excellent.

Read the part, especially, about the Athenian invasion of Sicily and tell me it doesn't remind you of Iraq in the absolute worst-case scenario.