The only thing that works worse than 'nation building' is 'partial war'.
1 - Don't ever go to war unless you are willing to kill *everyone* in the area.
2 - When you do go to war, be sure to kill everyone in the area.
I'd go to war far less often than countries do, and I'd be far more brutal about it in the rare instances where it is required.
We went to war in the wrong place, created more enemies than we killed and are now faced with a real reason to go to war that will require far more death and destruction than the original war. It's a lot like losing a sneaker in a tree, throwing your other sneaker at it to knock it down... And walking home barefoot.
