Are there similarities between the Spanish/American War and the current war in Iraq?
Yes, and a great many differences, too. First, I think you have to understand that one nation generally wages war on another when the second nation has something the first wants, and the first has the means to take it. With that in mind, take a look at the U.S. in the 1890’s. We were up to our ears in textiles, steel and manufactured goods and we needed to expand our markets. China, everyone said was the future of American commerce, and manufacturers dreamed of a billion Chinese peasants dressed head to toe in American textiles and buying American products. The trouble was, we needed stopover bases in the Pacific – protected, dependably open harbors to re-provision, re-supply and warehouse. Who possessed those assets? Spain. Spain had what we wanted in the form of Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines – their colonies in the Pacific – and because by then their empire was nearly bankrupt from corruption and mismanagement, we had the means to take it. Are there similarities to today’s si
