Have we learned nothing?

"I do not doubt the sincerity and good intentions of those appalled by Qaddafi's brutality. Obviously, I share it. But this is where morality must address prudence if we are to make actual, real-life decisions in a fallen world. And if we haven't learned that these "societies" are beyond our understanding, that military intervention can bring unintended consequences, that democratic revolutions only have a chance if they emerge indigenously ... then what have we learned?" -- Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic