The path to victory is not to be a ruthless invader who doesn't bother to speak the language of the country. That way lies oppresion, alienation, and rejection.

The route to success, shown by British and Australian detachments in Vietnam and in Iraq, is to mingle with the locals, speak fully and freely with them, and help them.

Do NOT retreat into fortresses and bomb and blast anything that looks like opposition.

Colatteral damage costs support. In the end, it will lose you the whole war, like it did in Vietnam. In that way, Vietnam is a parallel to Iraq. In may other ways it is not. Every war is unique, but themes repeat through history.

Tom referred us to Dan Simmons, who quoted Sun Tzu. Much of Sun Tzu is about UNDERSTANDING the situation, not about the scale of response. As with the Bible or the Quran, you can quote selectively in favour of overwhelming force, or sneaky tactics or some other option you prefer. But that's not the essence of The Art of War.

Read Machiavelli and Sun Tzu. The Arthasastra Kautilya is good for those with patience.

Then THINK about the mess we're all in, and how we might get out of it?

As Simmons suggests - first "define" the mess...