Once upon a time, I lived in a rural place. We kept chickens there, mainly for the eggs. We kept the chickens in a fairly large fenced area where we also kept a pony. To feed the chickens, we had to go within the enclosure.

Every time we went into the enclosure to feed the chickens, a rooster would come and attack us. One day, we got rather tired of this and decided to eat the rooster for dinner. And so we did.

The next day when we went in to feed the chickens, we were attacked by another rooster. Understand from this what you will.

Remember also that when we first went into Iraq, we had few enemies in the Middle East. But after we had dispatched Saddam Hussein, we had many more. In the battle between the Lernaean Hydra and Hercules, every time Hercules would cut off a head of the Hydra, two would grow back in its place. My impression of what has happened since we went into Iraq has been similar.

More on the myth here: https://youtu.be/gQMqzHBSBNo