Jeff gets a no-prize for bringing this article about comparisons between postwar Iraq and Germany. I've always thought this particular comparison was invalid, but I'm deeply puzzled why nobody's even bothered to compare Iraq to post-war Japan. There, the culture and predominant religion was fundamentally different, the people had never experienced democracy, and were unable to even conceive of defeat.

Personally I don't think either comparison is particularly valid. I'm leaning more toward a comparison with the Phillipino experience, but this could simply be because I don't know all that much about the period.