It's really apples and oranges comparing the occupation of Iraq with that of nations such as Germany and Japan after WWII. First of all, both Germany and Japan were not factionalized sects. Japan had basically a central religion overseen by the Emperor. When he surrendered he basically told his citizens to fall in line with the occupation. In Germany's case, once again it was primarily a Christian nation so the prospect of an occupation from another Christian nation certainly eased the fears of the citizens. Let's face it. Iraq is a mess and Islam is extremely incompatible with our nation's values and politics. Add in the diversity of the Islamic sects and it's absolutely a recipe for disaster.