Divided societies do not respond well to the imposition of democratic governance , in particular where such divides are exacerbated — as they are in Iraq , Libya and Syria — by a lack of historical experience within a power-sharing government . In such societies , elections are often seen as a winner-take-all event , and office-holders are expected to provide benefits to their own constituencies with little regard for the whole of the nation . Imposing elections too rapidly tends to overwhelm the ability to absorb the contest without violence .
Human beings and societies are not solely defined or motivated by ancient hatreds , but through current felt experience . Thus , while not all history is entirely relevant , it should be studied and understood nonetheless because it provides a roadmap for understanding where social schisms are likely to be found and what might cause deeper divisions . Historical context should be kept in mind as a guide inasmuch as it shapes the current cultural landscape which produces any given actor .
Deep analysis of social and political history has been done in all of these potential intervention areas . There is little that needs to be generated from scratch . As mentioned above , the US Department of State had already conducted an exhaustive study of Iraqi sociopolitics that could have served well as a guide for planners of the 2003 mission . Coordination cells , formed for the express purpose of gathering already-existing information that could be brought to bear on expected interventions , would ease planning considerably .
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