America’s Dilemma and Vietnam

Vietnam War though ended by the capital of France quietness Accord in the year 1973, yet it had left incredible marks in the heart of the political domain of America. The statement of Henry Kissinger, Vietnam is still with us 1 speaks the volume of effect the policies of respective Presidents on the Vietnam War has created in the minds of thinkers, critics and people alike. Since last m any(prenominal) years, thinkers had been analyzing the reasons behind failure.Many are pointing towards the fact that America mightiness have won strategically scarcely had lost politically as well as militarily. There are also notions of the causes of the failure owing to armed services strategy at several levels. On the other hand, it is also said that failure was due to the political restrictions being posed by civilian perishership at home on the military leadership. Despite failures, this war proved as a lesson to be learnt while thinking in the foreign polity matters. H. R.McMaster, an A rmy major(ip), in his book, Dereliction of Duty Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, The Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam, described 36th President of the unify States, Lyndon Johnson who followed the strategy kn take in as graduated extort 2 preventing discussions on the Vietnam War until the situation went out of control. The Presidents conduct was not only undemocratic but also removed any chances of corrective measures. His decision was establish on his predicament for his position as a President.Secondly his decision to consider bombings as an alternative solution to the war was based on his miscalculations regarding the impact bombings could create. Many people in the administration argued against bombings on the point that bombings would not make the way for 1. Karnow, Stanley, Vietnam A History, ( modern York Viking Press, 1983), 436. 2. Young, Rick, Lessons of Vietnam A Conversation With Major H. R. McMaster, PBS. org. , ( 27 frame in 2008)a peace pr ocess and assurance for Hanoi to induce northeastward Vietnam to recede back in their support for insurgency. Pentagon too predicted grave chemical reaction from the side of enemy on the ground but McNamara did not heed to their advice. For McNamara, the war was nothing more than than another business management problem and he tried to solve it by air bombings. Without analyzing the current political, social and cultural situation among the forces, McNamara tried to solve the problem based on the assumptions that bombings on the amend installations and economic buildings would make North Vietnamese succumb to their demands.The bombings on the fixed installations did not create any effect on the forces that were always on the move. Johnson, in the spring of 1965, without giving any concrete strategic motives, ordered the Joint Chief of Staff to kill more Viet Cong, 3 a tactical mission. It was never clear how these bombs over the noncombatant population could bring this War to an end. Johnson Lyndon did not follow the strategy conducive for the situation. H. R. McMaster, said that, The process of de enclosureining the means to use up must begin with a clearly stated policy goal or objective.Senior military advisers and commanders should then develop a military strategy that contributes to or achieves that goal or objective. Then, military commanders determine the level of force necessary to carry out that strategy 4 but during this war, Lyndon Johnson and his advisers moved according to their own whims resulting in failure. Harry Summers clearly blamed the failure of military leadership to understand the real nature of the Vietnam War. Moreover, the way the issue of such a afflictive nature was decided raised the questions on the real motive of the War itself on the domesticated front.He further stated 3. & 4. Young, Rick, Lessons of Vietnam A Conversation With Major H. R. McMaster, PBS. org. , ( 27 March 2008) that United States owe the failure to its incapacity to get congressional declaration of war. If it had been accomplished, the organization would have gained public support and many legal sanctions to deal with their enemies. 5The reason that made Vietnam War emotionally devastating for the people in general is same as that of the attacks on World Trade Center on September 11. More over, the betrayal of America in the end gave it the reputation of not being loyal to its allies. Congress was not able to fulfill the Paris Peace Accord. And now this ongoing Iraq War has further resuscitated memories of the Vietnam War. Though Vietnam and Iraq have altogether been different conflicts and different situations but at that place are many similarities between the two.Two questions that come to the mind while dealing with the Iraq situation are Firstly, was it possible to have unilateral disengagement when Richard Nixon took over the office and secondly, did the time have to fully accomplish Nixons purpose weakened the capabili ties of the American people to maintain the results in what ever capacity they were? 6 When Nixon was holding the office of President-ship, there were more than 500, 000 United States troops in Vietnam, and their number was continuously increasing.Though Johnson administration had decided for the United States withdrawal after six months when North Vietnamese would withdraw, but the nature of the withdrawal was not agreed upon. There was still a doubt between the mutual withdrawal or unilateral withdrawal and no chance of diplomatic agreement could be clearly seen. Hanoi was insisting on obtaining a cease-fire but on the other - 5. Summers, Harry, On Strategy, (California Persidio Press, 1982), 17-19. 6.Kissinger, Henry, The lessons of Vietnam Iraq urgently needs a political solution in the short term to make the war more manageable for the next president, Los Angeles Times, http//www. latimes. com/news/ tactual sensation/la-oe-kissinger31may31,0,7527631. story (27 March 2008) Hand, United States had to meet two conditions. Firstly, it had to overthrow the South Vietnamese Government, break up its police and army and roll government based on Communism. Secondly, United States had to give an unconditional date and time to withdraw their troops.At this, Nixon was faced with two issues, Shall we leave Vietnam in a way that by our own actions consciously turns the awkward over to the communists? Or shall we leave in a way that gives the South Vietnamese a reasonable choice to survive as a ingenuous people? 7 When negotiations did not come to any conclusion, Nixon administration unilaterally between 1969 and 1972 withdrew 515,000 American troops, put an end to American ground combat in 1971 and reduced causalities to considerable degrees.The major advance took place in 1972 when the United States was able to isolate Hanoi regime by mining at North Vietnams harbors and Hanoi got defeated by South Vietnamese helped by the United States Air force. At this, Le Du c Tho, the principle negotiator of Hanoi genuine all the conditions placed by Nixon in 1972. The conditions at the Paris Peace agreement were, An unconditional cease-fire and release of prisoners continuation of the existing South Vietnamese government continued U. S.economic and military help for it no further infiltration of North Vietnamese forces withdrawal of the remaining U. S. forces and withdrawal of North Vietnamese forces from Laos and Cambodia. 8 This agreement made Nixon administration to believe that it was able to achieve an opportunity to give South Vietnam a chance to decide the outcome and their fate. It was believed that now Saigon government would be able to handle any violations of the agreement, United States would give all assistance on any attacks and further South Vietnam would be able to form a conducive government.Kissinger rightly said that, The imperatives of domestic debate 7 & 8, Kissinger, Henry, The lessons of Vietnam Iraq desperately needs a politi cal solution in the short term to make the war more manageable for the next president, Los Angeles Times, http//www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-oe-kissinger31may31,0,7527631. story (27 March 2008) took precedence over geopolitical necessities. 9 But these two fundamental points need specific consideration.Firstly, any strategic point cannot be fruitfully utilized unless a thorough study is undertaken on a ground alkali level and secondly, the decision should be a very calculated move without causing any misconceptions on the common public. In Iraq, any kind of withdrawal would only lead to more disastrous results and even political situation is also not conducive. But the most appropriate approach is to create a situation for settlement taking into differing and varying views of opposition parties and forging a conducive environment looking at the social conditions at the time.That is the biggest lesson learnt from the mistakes during Vietnam War. Munich indirectly was obliga ted for the military attacks at Bosnia in 1995 and in Kosovo in 1999. Munich was an agreement signed in 1938 by the powerful nations of Europe. The Munich agreement was the basis on which Americas policy for tackling Sadam Hussain after September 11 was based on, and the situation was very conducive to adopt the Munich policy. Robert D Kaplan, who is a national correspondent for The Atlantic, made a comparative analysis of Munich and Vietnam.He said that, Munich is about universalism, about taking care of the world and the lives of others, the Vietnam analogyso prevalent following our overreach in Iraqis domestic in spirit. 10 He further said that Vietnam had its own limits but Munichs was there to overcome these limits. But both(prenominal) the analogies cannot survive and can lead to dangerous consequences. The peaceful and concrete solution to any foreign policy dilemma can come to shape and fruitfully materialize only when both the analogies are treated and put to use equally. 9.Kissinger, Henry, The lessons of Vietnam Iraq desperately needs a political solution in the short term to make the war more manageable for the next president, Los Angeles Times, http//www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-oe-kissinger31may31,0,7527631. story (27 March 2008) 10. Kaplan, Robert D. , Foreign Policy Munich Versus Vietnam, The Atlantic, http//www. theatlantic. com/doc/200705u/vietnam-munich/2 (27 March 2008) Bibliography Kaplan, Robert D. , Foreign Policy Munich Versus Vietnam, The Atlantic, http//www. theatlantic. com/doc/200705u/vietnam-munich/2 (27 March 2008)Karnow, Stanley, Vietnam A History, New York Viking Press, 1983. Kissinger, Henry, The lessons of Vietnam Iraq desperately needs a political solution in the short term to make the war more manageable for the next president. Los Angeles Times. http//www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-oe-kissinger31may31,0,7527631. story (27 March 2008) McMaster, H. R. , Lessons of Vietnam A Conversation With Major H. R. McMaster by Rick Young, PBS. org. , http//www. pbs. org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/military/etc/lessons. html (27 March 2008) Summers, Harry, On Strategy, California Persidio Press, 1982.