In Baghdad County, Wretchard wonders about the effect that Operation Iraqi Freedom has had on America, specifically the capabilities of the veterans of its Armed Services:

Whether OIF has wrenched events in the Middle East from their old tracks and put them on a better route remains to be seen. What is less debateable is that OIF has subtly changed America. The Armed Forces have acquired capabilities they never had before. Bill Roggio in Patrolling Haqlaniyah describes three-tour veterans who can talk politics with Iraqis. For many individual Americans Iraq is now something less than home and something more than a foreign country. For America as a whole, one thing that no politician will dispute in 2008 is that aside from being a European and Pacific power -- which it has been since the end of the Second World War -- the US is now a part of the strategic landscape of the Middle East and Central Asia.

I remarked:

I predict that many of these men and women will return for fourth and fifth and sixth tours of duty- only duty of another kind. One day Iraq will be ready, willing, and able to do business. And were I running a business instead of blogging about it, these former soldiers would high on my list of people to hire. After all, they have an understanding of the people, the language, the region, and the political landscape. They know much about leadership, strategy, logistics, organization design, planning, and the marshalling of resources and capabilities to meet clearly-defined objectives. In short, they are ideally suited to help Iraqi one day erect the other pillar of a free society- the free enterprise system. And though that day has yet to dawn, preparations are quietly underway.