War is the Enemy

Last night, I had the fortune of listening to Howard Zinn speak about the role American history, the real American history with all the acts of imperialsim and brutality, should play in the analysis of current government policies. Zinn concluded that in the end, wars and the occupation of foreign lands, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, only lead to greater hostility.
"War is the enemy," Zinn said.
Think about it, if a foreign power tried to occupy the United States, would there be any second thoughts about creating an insurgency to attack said forces? Why should we expect any different from Iraqis or Afghans? And what about "spreading democracy?" I'm curious what will happen in the near future as President Maliki edges away from U.S. influence in his government because as long as he goes along with U.S. directives he loses credibility in the Arab world.