• The sectarian violence in Iraq follows our long-term support of Saddam Hussein and the hatred that festered during those many years of oppression.

• The militant Islamists in Iran arose from our overthrow of freely elected Mohammed Mossedegh in 1953, followed by 25 years of oppressive U.S.-backed rule by the Shah and then support for Saddam Hussein in our cynical manipulation of events during the Iran-Iraq War.

• The Taliban, Osama bin Laden and, by extension, Al-Qaida were armed and trained either directly by us or by our “clients” in the region in our desperate attempt to dislodge the Soviet Union from its occupation of Afghanistan.

• The Palestinian-Israeli conflict was spurred by our blind support of the far-right elements in Israel (and their far-right supporters here).

• The oppressive, aggressively U.S.-backed regimes in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have spawned indigenous fanatic groups that have exported their hatred of the West and the United States in particular; which, in turn, has fed the Taliban and Al-Qaida (among others).

Our ignorance about how others live, think and believe is matched only by our greed in wanting to rob these people of their resources. Either through official governmental channels or the even shadier world of arms dealership, we have now managed to arm all of the various factions in the region.

The fiasco in Iraq, though eerily reminiscent of Vietnam, more closely resembles Algeria in important ways. We actually followed the French into Vietnam, and now are repeating the grievous errors they made in Algeria. The lesson of that conflict is that an insurgency cannot be fought as a conventional war for the simple reason that the “battle space” is psychological and not physical.

No troop buildup will serve to resolve the conflict in Iraq; indeed, the lesson of history tells us it will only make it worse — acting as a lightning rod and training ground for increased insurgency and terrorism. Many people now in the U.S. military, and many who have been forced to retire, know this.

Likewise, continuing to refuse to engage productively with the Palestinians, Syrians, Iranians and others who have legitimate claims in the region will only push them into taking chances that will bring the entire region closer to causing a world war. Bush administration officials are playing a very foolish game of brinksmanship and are losing in every way — militarily, diplomatically, economically and in terms of our national prestige and moral authority.

It is high time that Mr. Bush and his cronies stop acting like rich brats and start acting like rational adults committed to creating a world that will be a decent place for all our children and grandchildren in which to live. If their history is any indication, though, this will not happen.

Dr. Hebert is a professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics of the Arnold School of Public Health at USC and director of the South Carolina Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program.