Because the Afghani and Iraqi cultures are SOOOOO different from ours, can we ever really expect to understand their needs and motives?

Iraqi culture actually isn't that different from our own. Sadam was an evil bastard to be sure, but he ran Iraq as a mostly secular nation. They have TVs, internet, electricity, and many highly educated people.

This is why NeoCons, including the Project for the New American Century, believed that if the U.S.A. Got rid of Sadam Hussain, the country could be turned into a clone of America... an America-Lite. They believed this would form a beacon of freedom and justice the middle east, and incite neighboring nations to become more like the USA. Afghanistan on the other hand is like another world... Afghanistan doesn't even fit the definition of a Nation-State, lacking a monopoly of legitimate force.

Different areas are controlled by interconnected tribes and warlords. A number of nations have tried to control this region throughout history... and all have failed. That is why Afghanistan is known as "The Graveyard of Empires.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.