The Agony and the Clarity -- Iraq is Not Yet Vietnam?
Iraq is not yet Vietnam, but neither was Vietnam when the USA began military operations in 1956. When Americans today use the word “Vietnam,” we are mainly referring to the ideological civil war that erupted ten years later, and finally achieved armistice in 1973 when American troops were withdrawn. Few of the combatants in that ideological war have withdrawn from their positions. If God is unwilling or we are unlucky, before Americans go to the polling booths on November 2, 2004, we will have to ask and answer again the “Vietnam” questions of means and ends, moral imperatives and appeasement. The similarity between the moral, policy and political issues that are now arising from the invasion of Iraq and the issues as they were framed and fought during 1965-73 is simply too great to ignore. Rationale Creep In both Vietnam and Iraq, USA’s rationale for initiating military operations was based on national security. Sooner (Iraq) or later (Vietnam), however, the rationale fo...