How the War Still Affects American Society and Foreign Policy Essay

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Vietnam War

Japan had taken control of Vietnam during the Second World War. They had come in, in 1940, as a strategy to prevent China from ferrying weapons through the country. However, there was resistance to this through the efforts of Ho Chi Minh, who would later lead the independent country. He was a communist, and this would help him in accessing aid from the communist China when fighting against the French in the southern part of this country. The south was under the French rule, and thus, not part of the growing communism movement. Concerned over the threat of communist domination of the great part of Asia, the United States decided to back the French, so that they could set up a friendly government. However, they were defeated in the ensuing war, though they did not leave, but signed a peace agreement. Through the U.S. efforts, elections were halted in the French south, for fear of a Communist takeover. This interference led to the breaking out of war between North and South again. This was initiated by Ho Chi Minh, as a reaction to the failed elections. He led a strategic and successful guerilla warfare against the U.S. backed French. Though they received a lot of support from the U.S., the French were still unable to hold up against the Viet Cong, and would have fallen in 1965, had the U.S. not sent in, its own army. The logic behind this interference was that the United States needed to protect its interests in Asia, and allowing the Viet Cong to take over the whole of Vietnam would mean a threat to these interests, because of the Domino effect this victory would have on communism.

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The United States at the time was led by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who used this Domino Theory as an excuse to get involved in this war.

The war in Vietnam, and America's role in it is a question that has been debated through the years, and one that has had a long-term effect on the decisions of the nation, including those on war (George Herring, Vietnam: America's greatest war n.p.). There have been many doubts as to the validity of America's involvement, and thus government bodies have lost trust because of this. Hence, the reason the "Vietnam Syndrome" as a term came up as the reaction of Americans to the unnecessary interference of America in wars that are not theirs (Vietnam War n.p.). Policy decisions have been seriously affected in terms of the indecisiveness that surrounds them as a result of this war. Some have been of the opinion that America must keep off from the wars fought around the world. Brno (p.25) states that as a consequence of the Vietnam War, military engagement should be avoided at all costs, unless a clear victory is foreseen, the nation's interest at stake, and where the people of America are involved in the decision.

There were several failures recorded as a result of the War in Vietnam. Military failure was one of these. In spite of its military prowess, it could not achieve its goal of stopping the spread of communism. The Vietnam War affected the policy of containment, which was the strategy by which the United States waged the Cold War. The major aims of the….....

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