"I also argued before the war that the administration was underestimating Arab nationalism and Iraqi nationalism, that it was not going to be as easy to rule Iraq as they thought"

In this quote, Juan Cole is revealing his belief that the US government did not fully comprehend the strength of Arab and Iraqi nationalism before fighting. He argues that the administration underestimated the power of these nationalistic sentiments and therefore did not prepare for the problems of ruling Iraq. Cole suggests that the United States government may have been overconfident in their ability to control the nation and that this might have been a major consider the difficulties they dealt with throughout the war. In general, Cole is highlighting the value of understanding the cultural and political dynamics of a country before taking part in military action.