It certainly is reassuring to observe that in 1945 the United States of America knew how to subdue and pacify Germany and Japan, on different continents, at the same time. An important element with Germany was "denazification" whereby we assured that those still holding hostile intents were found and detained.
Both were much more populous than Afghanistan and Iraq combined.
Yet today more than eleven years after the 9-11-2001 attacks, planned from Afghan soil, we appear incapable of subduing and pacifying Afghanistan.
We are sacrificing the limbs and lives of Americans, to avoid waging an all out war to the end with the enemy.
Apparently there are those, smarter than us, like Hagel, Petreaus, Obama, Biden, who get this, but I don't.