Talk:Is Iraq Bush's Vietnam?
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[edit] Vietnam II: Conflict Iraq
[edit] In the Beginning
Vietnam, a war that was fought in foreign country where it would change the way the US has proceeded into conflicts with other countries. The US has and will always be remembered for the way they, slow escalation involvement in the conflict between North and South Vietnam. The war in Iraq has raised a lot of concern with the questions of Is Iraq “George Bush's Vietnam". People are beginning to wonder, will this war have the same outcome like the war fought so many years ago. There are both similarities, and some differences between the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, these similarities are the public opinion during the war, the assumptions the U.S. made about their enemy and the U.S. involvement since the beginning of the war. But in fact the question here is, are these similarities in Iraq the same as similarities in Vietnam. The similarities in Iraq, do justify the similarities in Vietnam.
[edit] The Soldiers
The first reason why Iraq is similar to Vietnam is because of the public opinion about why U.S. was involved with the war. In Vietnam the soldiers who were fighting were sending letters homes about what was going on in Vietnam, and the public realized how meaningless the U.S. involvement really was.” I dream of Valerie's hand touching mine telling me to come home; but I wake up, and it's some sergeant telling me I have to fly. Today I am 21, far away but coming home older."(Last letter from a soldier in Vietnam). President Nixon, who was elected president at the time, was taking heat from the public because of the way so many young troops were being sent to fight in the Vietnam War. Nixon wanted to be re-elected as president, started slowly pulling out troops in Vietnam. The public opinion of the war affected a possible victory over Vietnam and caused an uproar which led to a failed attempt at winning the war.
In the Iraq war the public opinion has been similar, people wanted the soldiers to come home, many feel war against the insurgents in Iraq is meaningless because a lot of soldiers throughout the war to die in the war that didn't even make sense. The people of the United States are trying really hard to petition and rally the war as in Vietnam the people did the same thing. In Newsweek it stated "This job will be finished, Bush told a grieving dad. Good the father said, adding: We can't leave this like Vietnam" The citizens of the United States realize what this war is turning into and this shows why Iraq is becoming the next Vietnam.
[edit] Lies lies and more lies
A second reason why Iraq is similar to Vietnam is because assumptions the U.S. made about Ho Chi Minh and his so called attempt to spread communism into Asia. These assumptions that the U.S. had about containing communism was weak, as in back in the Cold War where the U.S. felt that communism was within U.S. soil when U.S. thought Russia was sending spies to the U.S. to overthrow the government. Communism scared a lot of people and made them do things that they normally wouldn't do. In this case the U.S. went into another country and backed up a military dictator, how was the U.S. suppose to win a war and gain the Hearts and Minds of the Vietnamese people if they were supporting something they didn't believe in. This showed the aggressiveness of the U.S. to stop communism in Vietnam. The U.S. assumptions of communism ultimately led them to their defeat in Vietnam and this showed why the U.S. was unsuccessful in Vietnam.
In Iraq, the U.S. made assumptions about Saddam Hussein. The U.S. told the world that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction. This assumption came from way back in September 11, 2001, when the two planes crashed into the Twin Towers. This action sparked a series of events, back when the U.S. blamed Osama Bin Laden for trying to blow up the Twin Tower the first time. Now since the attack was successful George Bush has concluded that it was him who set off the attack. Bush then sends America into war to find Bin Laden, this hunt is not successful, Bush then turns his motives over to Hussein and says that Hussein is helping Bin Laden and concludes that Hussein is possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction and shifts the war into finding Hussein and taking Hussein out of power over Iraq. Bush finds Hussein only to realize and show the world that his accusations about the whole ordeal was false and costing billions and billions of dollars plus the lives of citizens all over the U.S., and that' s why these assumptions are making the war in Iraq similar to Vietnam.
[edit] Failure
A final reason Iraq is similar to Vietnam is involvement from the beginning. In Vietnam the U.S. aided the French. The U.S. came into the war losing the war because by aiding the French to help them win the war, North Vietnam still defeated the French, so in retrospective the given to the French was useless. That's why the U.S. was not successful in defeating North Vietnam. If the U.S. would have not supported the French coming into this war then in the future of that war the U.S. could have won the Hearts and Minds of the people.
In Iraq the U.S. came into this war losing because they were fighting a war where they didn't know who they enemy was. Bush continued with the troops he sent to Iraq, claiming he was trying to help setup a government in Iraq so that there will never again be a dictator ruler like Saddam. But in reality Bush is controlling Iraq and taking away resources that belonged to the people of Iraq.
[edit] A moment of Clarity
As this war continues on more and more qualities of Vietnam are surfacing into the war of Iraq. The question that is being asked is “Is this Bush's Vietnam" and to answer to that question, yes Iraq is becoming Vietnam, everyday this war progresses more and more problems occur making it hard on the soldiers to live in Iraq and to do their job that they were forced to do. Iraq and Vietnam are one in the same and the outcome of this current war can led to more deaths than Vietnam.
[edit] Similarities and Differences Between Vietnam and Iraq
[edit] What's the same
The longest war in America, ever to take place was the Vietnam War. A lot of struggles occurred and a lot of people were hurt because of this war. People in the United States thought that we shouldn’t even have been fighting in this war because it wasn’t our war to be fighting. This was a hurtful war both for the US and its allies. The War in Iraq is to help people out that are in need of help to achieve a better government. Us Americans are always helping someone. But some people in America don’t approve of this. Despite the different time periods and different presidents, there are similarities and differences between the Vietnam War and the War in Iraq. It was hard for the soldier’s to determine who was their enemy. Both the enemies in these wars did not have uniforms on to quickly identify them. Assumptions were made during these wars and most of them were found to be false. The reason that we entered both of these wars was not based on truth. The public opinions that people had about these wars weren’t helpful to Congress either. A lot of people were against them. These issues that occurred during these two wars are certain focuses that the US had.
[edit] Who is the enemy?
When it came to fighting the enemy, the American soldiers in the Vietnam War, did not know who their enemy was. The Viet Cong were attacking the US soldiers in Vietnam, and they were using a guerilla warfare style. The US could not tell if their enemies were coming out of houses or through hidden tunnels. Also they were attacked by some of the civilians from towns. Therefore, they couldn’t tell who was against them or with them. The Vietnamese people were nationalist. They were very loyal to the idea of an independent and united country. The US had forgotten that the Vietnamese had been through many battles against foreign enemies before and have succeeded. The French were trying to take over Vietnam and had no success. Even with the U.S.’s support they still failed. Despite the division of Vietnam into North and South, the people still wanted one country, which made them even more powerful.
Similarly, it was hard for the US soldiers in the War in Iraq, to quickly identify their true enemies. In Iraq, the Fedayeen were a Sunni group that was very loyal to Suddam Hussein’s son. The Fedayeen is the United States enemy in this war. They also attacked the US soldiers using the same type of warfare style as the Viet Cong did. Like the Viet Cong, the Fedayeen dressed like normal civilians making it hard to tell who was who. Unlike the Vietnamese people in Vietnam, the Iraqis in Iraq, are killing each other. This is making it harder to rebuild this country because we have more violence to control. If this wasn’t happening we would only have to worry about the Fedayeen but now we must worry about the suicide bombers and insurgents. If this is the case then the Americans are going to have more enemies to maintain.
[edit] Fixing our mistakes
Since we are fighting against the same warfare style as we were in Vietnam then we could make changes to have a better result. In Iraq, the American soldiers have been using better technology now then we did before. It states,” Upgrade existing helicopter fleet with systems to defend against shoulder-fired surface- to- air- missiles. Reorganize Army into smaller fighting units.’ (“As Chaos Mounts In Iraq, US Army Rethinks Its Future”, The Wall Street Journal) As a result, this means that we are having more accurate hits and the soldiers are in smaller groups so that there could be more groups around. The US soldiers are fixing their mistake with fighting against this type of warfare style. The Vietnam War was like an example of what could happen now in Iraq.
[edit] False assumptions
Before and during the Vietnam War assumptions were made and most were fictitious. The first assumption was when President Lyndon Johnson made false allegations about the Vietnamese firing at the Americans. In a document it states,” President Johnson told the nation that on two separate occasions North Vietnamese torpedo boats had fired on American destroyers in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin.’ (“What the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Said”, American History: Since 1865) President Johnson did not have enough evidence against the North Vietnamese to blame them for such actions. However, Johnson used this attack to persuade Congress to allow him to send troops into Vietnam. Another assumption was, the US thought they could go into Vietnam and easily win the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese people. The US would play with the Vietnamese children and act as a liberator to the people. But they were wrong. They didn’t know if the Vietnamese people liked them or hated them. A final assumption made was the US’s Domino Theory. President Dwight Eisenhower came up with during his time of power. He came up with this idea to influence people about what could happen if Vietnam was to become communist. He believed that if other communist countries saw Vietnam becoming communist, then they would follow along as well. We did not know for sure if this theory would be true. Nevertheless this caused American people to have great fear, and this also caused the 4 Presidents in power to continue with US intervention in Vietnam.
Just like in the Vietnam War, assumptions were made in Iraq and found to be false. In March 2003, Bush sent the American troops into Iraq. Bush apparently assumed that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that Suddam Hussein had been hiding and possibly could be giving to Osama Bin Laden. The US found out this assumption was false shortly after. Just like in Vietnam, when the US soldiers were entering Iraq, they assumed that the Iraqis, mostly the Shiites, would not mind the Americans being there because they just wanted Suddam Hussein out of there. An article states,” Intelligence officials were convinced that American soldiers would be greeted warmly when they pushed into southern Iraq…” (“Poor Intelligence Misled Troops…” The New York Times) The Iraqis did not want to deal with the type of dire surroundings that they were dealing with when Suddam was in power. However they also did not want the Americans to be around them. The US thought they could use their hearts and mind scheme once more in Iraq so they could get help from them.
[edit] Sum truth
Even though most assumptions were wrong, one of them had sum truth. In Iraq there have been Shiites supporting the US. This is because they don’t like Suddam Hussein because of his bad treatment towards his people. When Suddam Hussein was in power he had more favoritism towards the Sunnis even though the Shiites are the majority in Iraq. The Shiite Arabs made up 60% of Iraq, the Sunni Arab made up 20% and the Sunni Kurd made up 17%. The US was delighted that the majority is supporting them because this will give them the chance to give Iraq a democratic government. “ The Iraqis sought to hold elections that (1) were free, credible, and legitimate; (2) advanced the development of a constitution that embraces the freedoms and principles of a democratic systems of government…” (“Iraqi Election Issue.” www.whitehouse.gov) The Shiites were basically in power during the elections. Assumptions in the Iraq War were made and most of them were later concluded as false.
[edit] People's opinion
People tried to change Congress decisions through public protest. In Vietnam the Buddhist people set themselves on fire to show that they couldn’t take it any more. They were strongly against the war. The Viet Cong had a song that they sang and use to teach the children. Some of the lyrics are,” Americans come to kill our people, Follow America, and kill your relatives… Follow us, and you’ll always have a family. Follow America, and you’ll always be alone!” (“Dedication to Peace.” When Heaven and Earth Changed Places) This song made the Vietnamese people to have fear towards the Americans. During the same time period people in the US were protesting as well. At the University of Kent State there was a shot out. Four students were killed. This now made Americans very angry towards US soldiers in the United States because not only were they killing in another country they were firing at their own people.
Americans were furious with Bush’s decision to go to war. There were numerous protests against him. When the 2004 election came, people tired to vote against him so that John Kerry, a Vietnam Veteran could come to office. However, the Republican Convention really helped out Bush. Basically it depended on which state you were in, so that your voice could be heard. If you were in New York trying to vote for Bush and have campaigning for him this wasn’t the place to be. Frankly, it doesn’t matter about what the people think about what should happen to the US. The US’s big decision only get ran by the head people in Congress. People want to be heard for what they have to say but Congress isn’t changing anything.
[edit] Iraq is similar but not Vietnam
Overall, despite the different time periods and different presidents there are similarities and differences between the Vietnam War and the War in Iraq. Hopefully US will take this as being in advance and use it to accomplish their goals. This war in Iraq will continue until the US has reestablished a well enough government to then leave and let Iraq stand on its own two feet. Iraq and Vietnam are similar but everyone hopes the outcome won’t be the same.
--Emilyl 09:44, 15 Apr 2005 (EDT)
[edit] Vietnam/Iraq war Similarities and Differences
The Vietnam & Iraq war: Similarities and differences The Vietnam war lasted from 1965-1975 and was fought to stop communism in Vietnam. The war in Iraq began on March of 2003 with the purpose to stop Saddam Hussein using weapons of mass destruction (W.M.D). The two wars were very similar because both wars were wars of choice for the U.S. because both in Vietnam and Iraq the U.S. had to fight a guerilla warfare and had problems with the question of “who is the enemy?”, and both wars tried to win the “Hearts and Minds” without success.
The Vietnam and Iraq wars were wars of choice. This means that the U.S. was not attacked by any of these countries, however they considered both Iraq and Vietnam as threats to U.S. security which made the U.S. decide to invade those countries. In Vietnam the U.S. saw communism as a threat even though Vietnam never attacked the U.S. As President Eisenhower said “The loss of south Vietnam would deny the U.S. access to resources and markets of all of South Asia.” (Gary B. Nash, American Odyssey page 770). This was an example of the Domino Theory which was the idea that if one country went communist, others would soon follow. Thus the U.S. made the choice to go to war in Vietnam to defend its interest.
Iraq was also a war of choice for the U.S. though the issue here wasn’t that of communism, but that Saddam Hussein had W.M.D and could be a threat to the U.S. The Americans believed “that in Iraq the spread of the means (from ideology to weapons) would get Americans killed, either at home or abroad.” (Evan Thomas “The Vietnam Question”, Newsweek April 19, 2004) as part of the war on terror and, the Americans were afraid of the W.M.D that Iraq supposedly had. Based on this fear the U.S. started a war in Iraq although in reality Iraq did not cause any damage or harm to the U.S. Thus again the U.S. is involved on its own accord.
The U.S. had the same problem with the execution of the war in Vietnam and Iraq. In both places the enemy was fighting a guerilla warfare against the enemy which was very difficult to identify. In Vietnam the enemy was the Vietcong. The Vietcong had used guerilla warfare tactics with the use of small bands of fighters to face U.S. troops. Guerilla fighters avoided open battles. They used ambushes, hit and run raids as well as sabotage. It has been said that “The guerilla wins if it does not lose; the conventional army loses if it does not win.” This means that the U.S. has no chance in defeating this enemy. The enemy in Vietnam was very hard to find because as one soldier said: “The Vietcong would be the farmer you waved to from your jeep in the day who would be the guy with the gun out looking for you at night” (Gary Nash, page 774) This means for the U.S. it would be difficult to get rid of the enemy because anyone could be the enemy.
In Iraq the enemy is also fighting a guerilla warfare. The difference in Iraq was that the war took place in a city, while Vietnam took place in the country side. The difficulties were the same and the guerillas are out killing U.S. soldiers. “Just as in Vietnam that America understands the enemy.” (Evan Thomas) The enemy in Iraq are the Sunnis and Shiites. Although they have been enemies for centuries they might come together to fight Americans. Moreover the enemy the U.S. is fighting could be anyone in Iraq.
The U.S. tried to win the “hearts and minds” in Vietnam and Iraq but had no effect because of the tactics the U.S. used in the war. In Vietnam the Americans wanted to win over friends among the Vietnamese who lived in the country side. For example they sent people to the villages to give medical care and advice on farming. However “United States bombs and bullets undermine these efforts to win Vietnamese “hearts and minds.” The U.S. troops use to go to villages and force the people to move and then burn the fields and empty villages, sometimes they kill people in the village like what happened in the My Lai massacre. According to Seymour Hersh “In March 1968 United States under the command of Lieutenant William L. Cally Jr. had massacred over 350 Vietnamese civilians in the village of My Lai.” (Gary Nash) With these kinds of tactics it was impossible for the U.S. to win the Vietnamese trust.
The U.S. are also trying to win the support of the people in Iraq. According to Evan Thomas “The generals are still torn between winning hearts and minds with soccer games and reconstruction projects and going in hammer and tongs to obliterate the enemy.” However the tactics that the Americans are using aren’t winning many friends. In the city of Fallujah the U.S. had dropped a 500 pound bomb on a place where people are praying which had killed more than 20 people. Thus with tactics like this the Iraqi’s were not going to trust the Americans either.
A big difference between Vietnam and Iraq is how the U.S dealt with the dictators that were ruling both countries. In Vietnam the U.S. supported Ngo Dinh Diem because he was anti-communist. Diem was a man that “ran the country as if it were a personal empire. Half his cabinet members were relatives, and he imprisoned anyone who dared act out against his autocratic rule.” (Gary Nash, page 770) The U.S. was supporting a man that the Vietnamese had overthrown. Saddam Hussein had killed many Iraqi people and who the Iraqi’s hated. The differences however are not important enough to erase the similarities that were discussed earlier.
The U.S. is involved in a war in Iraq as they were 30 years ago in Vietnam. Both wars were wars of choice for the U.S. In both places the U.S. had fought guerilla warfares that were to difficult to handle, and in both places the U.S. tried to win the “hearts and minds” of people without success. Thus what the U.S. should do is learn its lesson from Vietnam so as to not make mistakes in Iraq.
[edit] A lot of similarities, but there is one important difference
[edit] The beginning
How have choices about the war affect choices at home? And how should lessons from Vietnam shape decisions and attitudes towards the Iraq conflict? These guiding questions show the relationship between both the Iraq war and the war in Vietnam. There have been many similarities in both wars, but there is also one difference that separates the two.
[edit] The affects from war did affect things at home
During the Vietnam War choices that were about the war did affect things at home. That was when President Lyndon Johnson was trying to introduce the “Great Society” program. During that time Johnson introduced goals that would rebuild the United States. His goals were to have Medicare to benefit older Americans from 65 and older, and Medicaid for low-cost health insurance for poor Americans. From a reading on the “Great Society” Lyndon Johnson recited a speech at the University of Michigan on May, 1964 that states, “Your imagination, your initiative, and your indignation will determine whether we build a society where progress is the servant of our needs, or a society where old values and new visions are buried under unbridled [unrestrained] growth. For in your time we have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but upward toward the Great Society.” This quote explains how Johnson felt about the change that he thought the Great Society would bring to the United States. This also shows he was excited for the change and had a lot of potential to bring it together. The president was unable to provide programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the department of housing and urban development, because of all the money spent in Vietnam to contain communism. The United States was to busy worrying about Vietnam, while things at home were not being taken care of.
[edit] Choices at war affect's choices at home
During the time of the war in Iraq, choices about the war have also affected things at home. While spending billions of money on war, we are still trying to provide money to prevent unwanted “Terrorists”, but at the same time we are forgetting choices at home like education. It states in a New York Times article “The Era of Exploitation” of May of 2005 that “Education funding would be cut beginning next year, and cuts would grow larger in succeeding years. “ How can we be spending so much money on a war when we are stopping more and more kids to go to school, The cost of the war right now is 144.4 billion. With that money we could be spending money on safeguarding our ports for 7.5 billion dollars, or 10 billion on protecting American commercial airlines from shoulder- fired missiles. This similarity does not separate Vietnam and the war in Iraq, because both did not take things at home into consideration.
[edit] Assumptions that misguided U.S. policy in Vietnam
Some Assumptions in both Vietnam and Iraq was the idea that these wars were going to be easy once you get the leader down. In Vietnam the people were not allowed to get there own leaders, because Diem was placed by the United States. This misguided the United States policy, because Diem was a dictator and that was not what the United States represented. The United States represents democracy so placing a dictator only made it seem that they were for whatever Diem had to offer. The United States assumed that by just putting someone in charge would allow everything to just fall in place.
[edit] Assumptions that misguided U.S. policy in Iraq
During the war in Iraq, the Iraqi people were allowed to pick their own leaders. This was very different from what happened in Vietnam. This is one issue that the United States tried to do differently. Allowing the Iraqi people to chose their own leaders, showed that the United States were trying to make a change from what they did in Vietnam, but in reality the thought that stood in the back of the Iraqi people’s mind was that they were still aware of all the bad things that the united states has done, and was concerned about the united states just using them in the future for their resources. In a New York Times article “For a Battered Populace, a Day of Civic Passion.” From a January 2005 issue a London trained engineer states, “We thank the Americans for destroying the regime of Saddam,” he said. “But often, they were not careful for the people; they did many things wrong. Now we know what they are looking for. They are looking for oil, and military bases, and domination of the new regime. They will have their military headquarters for the new region in Iraq, and when they will leave, nobody knows.” This quote shows that the Iraqi people are aware of what the United States is doing. They are thankful that the United States has gotten rid of Saddam, but they will never forget the many things that they did wrong. They are also aware of the connection that the United States will have with their resources in the future. This is the one difference that could change the way the war in Iraq will end.
[edit] The final thought
In both Vietnam and the war in Iraq the United States risked many lives. In both wars we were not prepared for a long and costly war, but our presence still remained. We have gained more enemies in both the Vietnam and the war in Iraq, because we have been killing innocent people. More people were willing to fight against us because we have killed their friend, or love one. How can we say we were fighting in these wars to help the people and get them on the “good side” of the American people, but then again we are killing their people left and right? Is Iraq “George Bush’s Vietnam?” yes, history is definitely repeating itself. If we want to do the right thing for our country, then we must learn from our mistakes, not make the same ones over again. There have been many similarities between both the Vietnam and the war in Iraq. All of these similarities show that this is “George Bush’s Vietnam.” but there is only one difference that will determine whether if the war in Iraq will go a whole different direction from Vietnam.
--Starasiah 09:51, 15 Apr 2005 (EDT)
[edit] Who are we fighting for?
[edit] Wars are all the same?
[edit] Our leaders make us look bad
[edit] They didn't have a choice
[edit] Damaged soldiers
[edit] The United States destroyed their lives
[edit] All wars are the same
[edit] Iraq War vs. Vietnam War
[edit] Going to war?
A common mistake or a new chapter? Has the Iraq war become George Bush’s Vietnam? The Iraq war that president Bush started back in 2003 as the so called “War on Terrorism”, was arguable similar to a war with very similar circumstances as the infamous Vietnam war 30 years ago. There’s the argument that the U.S. intentions of policing the world included deciding that third world countries were presumed by the U.S. to need a democracy/Capitalist government setup to be able to function properly. This was the intention of the U.S. in both wars, and it seems that comparing the popularity of the Iraq war, that it may also end up as the same outcome of an unnecessary lost cause. If you were to look at the circumstances of both the current Iraq War with the Vietnam War, it can be easily seen that events and decisions made by the U.S are the same wrong mistakes the U.S. made during the Vietnam War.
[edit] Wrong idea
The United States still made the wrongful assumption that the third world country they’re invading in is better off with a Capitalist/Democratic form of government. This is a mistake they made in Vietnam and have now repeated in Iraq. In Vietnam the people (Vietnamese people) were not happy that they’re country was being taken over by foreigners (the U.S.). The Vietnamese people were not thrilled to hear that they’re country was forcefully separated by the U.S. through the Geneva agreement of 1954. So a civil war was bound to happen with a separated country and the U.S. was to blame for being the spark that ignited the civil war into the Vietnam War. Even after all that the U.S. did to preserve some control (influence over Vietnam), the U.S. set up South Vietnam as the U.S.’s representative government. This was all crucial to win a bigger war for the U.S., which the U.S. was so bent on containing Communism in Vietnam in hopes of winning the raging Cold War that was still happening during that time.
[edit] Vietnam echoes
Today, the U.S. still made the mistake of assuming what were the best actions and decisions for the Iraqi government which they support. Surprisingly, the U.S. split the country into two (or possibly more) sides that, just as Vietnam, would lead to, and already lead to a civil war in the country itself. Even though the only difference now is that the U.S. supported half of Iraq is in official control, as compared to Vietnam were both sides had control over their fair share of the land. So in terms of power, the U.S. gave more of an advantage to the side the U.S. than the opposing as in Vietnam. It really makes a person wonder: Is the U.S. supposes to be in a civil war they help started? Like in Vietnam, the U.S. is not fighting a war against their oppositions, but the ideals of the country.
[edit] Hearts and mind
In both Vietnam and Iraq the hearts and minds of the people were not in favor of the U.S., and that is why the U.S. lost Vietnam, and is expected to lose again in Iraq. The hearts and minds of the people in Vietnam (both North and South) played a major role in the outcome of the war, and it seems to be true now in Iraq. Vietnam was a failed attempt by the U.S. to gain support for their ideas of Capitalism at the time of their own war (Cold War). The U.S. lost the war because not only did the U.S. had to deal with their enemy in Vietnam (the North Vietnam army and the rebellious Vietcong), but the vast numbers of people that were willing to help them because of their similar dislike of the U.S. presence in their country. How can the U.S. fight in a War they started and say that they are defending the people’s freedom? Yet the U.S. kept saying that freedom of the Iraqi people was the main goal of the U.S., yet the very same enemy (insurgents) the U.S. fights now also includes several Iraqi citizens the very same people the U.S. were there to protect. The insurgency had about 5000 members, but that eventually grew to a number above 100,000 because of the increasing support of the people the insurgents gained from the common dislike of the U.S. occupation of their country. The U.S. honestly believed that their actions were honorable, but the people of Vietnam had different viewpoints, and that is exactly what the U.S. neglected to pay attention to as they are doing in Iraq.
[edit] Greed
The U.S. continues to disregard the opinions and minds of the people that the U.S. can possibly fight for (both the Iraqi’s and U.S. people). The people in Iraq were not so happy with the U.S. intervention and what they were doing. The Iraqi people were force to live in fear and fighting. Citizens from both countries disagree with the war. The active U.S. presence of what they people (Iraqi’s and U.S. citizens) now say is military occupation has made the people grow a disliking of the war. The idea that the U.S. is in Iraq with intentions other than freeing the Iraqi people are becoming clear to everyone as the war continues to rage on. That the U.S. is seen as an active aggressor pulling the strings to their independence to what the people mistakenly saw as freedom. With the U.S. losing much public support in Iraq and the U.S., the likelihood of the U.S. repeating the mistakes of the Vietnam War were more bound to happen.
[edit] Unseen outcomes
The U.S. made the mistake of going into both wars with the mind set on predicted victory, which has been a valid strategy for all wars but these two (Iraq and Vietnam). In both wars the enemy was underestimated because of they’re numbers and military capabilities compared to the United States. But in Iraq the U.S. choked on their own glory, when they’re soldiers started coming back in body bags after the war was over (post-war). The U.S. had celebrated what they thought was the defeat of their enemies in Iraq when their foes (the Iraq insurgents) gained much popularity, and much support which increased their threat to the U.S. The U.S. finally came to see the similarities of how wrong they were to underestimate the enemy at the cost of many of their (U.S.) soldier’s lives. The U.S. hadn’t expected the Iraqi’s to pick up the use of Guerilla Warfare, the successful tactic of the U.S. former formable enemy in Vietnam (since it’s the country to defeat the U.S. in war). This caused the U.S. to lose its foot hold and military advantage they expected when entering a new era of the war in Iraq. The U.S. trained their armies to fight an open battle, but instead they got an urban search and destroy type of war. It would give the U.S. a difficult time to defeat the small Iraqi foes. It’s never healthy for a warrior to enter the battlefield preparing for tactics that the enemy might use, but the tactics that the enemy can use.
[edit] Mistakes
Vietnam was the war that the U.S. probably wished never happened because of the fact of how the U.S. handled the situation of Vietnam after making the mistake of intervening in Vietnam. “We though in those early days in Vietnam that we were winning. We thought the skill and courage of our troops was enough. We though that victory on the battlefield would lead to victory in the war, and peace and democracy for the people of Vietnam.” (Edward M. Kennedy, America’s future in Iraq). It was the very belief of that the U.S. would win in Vietnam that gave the Vietnamese people the chance to counter back on the U.S. The only thing that the U.S. seem to of learned from their mistakes in Vietnam, was to do something that could win over the hearts and minds of the people, which the U.S. did in Iraq only , in overthrowing Sadam Hussein, but even that could not be a permanent fix for the U.S. to continue on.
[edit] Final words
The U.S. made big mistakes in Vietnam which apparently the U.S. must have forgotten over the period of the last three decades since de-ja-vu (of the mistakes) has occurred again in the Iraq War. Why continue fighting the war when neither countries (the U.S. nor Iraq) people really benefiting from the U.S. occupying Iraq after the overthrowing of Saddam Hussein. In both wars soldiers were not too willing to go fight a war they don’t agree with like many, such as politicians and many figures in the government. So what we must ask ourselves is: Is this War Bushes war, or the U.S.’s? Still the U.S. is bent on finding reasons to continue the war just to avoid the embarrassment of admitting their mistakes. Like in Vietnam, the U.S. had the same opportunity to end the war, but decided to avoid admitting their mistake by continuing a war they knew was not beneficial to anyone. It took the U.S. over a decade to finally end Vietnam, but with the cost of many American lives (of soldiers), and this is happening again in Iraq with death tolls continuing to increase, but lets just hope this war does not take a decade for the U.S. to give out a simple apology. Maybe it is time the U.S. stop be a spoiled brat and just clean its mouth of lies and spit out the real truth that the U.S. has been easily manipulating for the last century (or more).
[edit] Vietnam/Iraq Wars Similarities & Differences
[edit] Vietnam II: Conflict Iraq
Vietnam, a war that was fought in foreign country where it would change the way the US has proceeded into conflicts with other countries. The US has and will always be remembered for the way they, slow escalation involvement in the conflict between North and South Vietnam. The war in Iraq has raised a lot of concern with the questions of Is Iraq “George Bush's Vietnam". People are beginning to wonder, will this war have the same outcome like the war fought so many years ago. There are both similarities, and some differences between the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, these similarities are the public opinion during the war, the assumptions the U.S. made about their enemy and the U.S. involvement since the beginning of the war. But in fact the question here is, are these similarities in Iraq the same as similarities in Vietnam. The similarities in Iraq, do justify the similarities in Vietnam.
The first reason why Iraq is similar to Vietnam is because of the public opinion about why U.S. was involved with the war. In Vietnam the soldiers who were fighting were sending letters homes about what was going on in Vietnam, and the public realized how meaningless the U.S. involvement really was.” I dream of Valerie's hand touching mine telling me to come home; but I wake up, and it's some sergeant telling me I have to fly. Today I am 21, far away but coming home older."(Last letter from a soldier in Vietnam). President Nixon, who was elected president at the time, was taking heat from the public because of the way so many young troops were being sent to fight in the Vietnam War. Nixon wanted to be re-elected as president, started slowly pulling out troops in Vietnam. The public opinion of the war affected a possible victory over Vietnam and caused an uproar which led to a failed attempt at winning the war.
In the Iraq war the public opinion has been similar, people wanted the soldiers to come home, many feel war against the insurgents in Iraq is meaningless because a lot of soldiers throughout the war to die in the war that didn't even make sense. The people of the United States are trying really hard to petition and rally the war as in Vietnam the people did the same thing. In Newsweek it stated "This job will be finished, Bush told a grieving dad. Good the father said, adding: We can't leave this like Vietnam" The citizens of the United States realize what this war is turning into and this shows why Iraq is becoming the next Vietnam.
A second reason why Iraq is similar to Vietnam is because assumptions the U.S. made about Ho Chi Minh and his so called attempt to spread communism into Asia. These assumptions that the U.S. had about containing communism was weak, as in back in the Cold War where the U.S. felt that communism was within U.S. soil when U.S. thought Russia was sending spies to the U.S. to overthrow the government. Communism scared a lot of people and made them do things that they normally wouldn't do. In this case the U.S. went into another country and backed up a military dictator, how was the U.S. suppose to win a war and gain the Hearts and Minds of the Vietnamese people if they were supporting something they didn't believe in. This showed the aggressiveness of the U.S. to stop communism in Vietnam. The U.S. assumptions of communism ultimately led them to their defeat in Vietnam and this showed why the U.S. was unsuccessful in Vietnam.
In Iraq, the U.S. made assumptions about Saddam Hussein. The U.S. told the world that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction. This assumption came from way back in September 11, 2001, when the two planes crashed into the Twin Towers. This action sparked a series of events, back when the U.S. blamed Osama Bin Laden for trying to blow up the Twin Tower the first time. Now since the attack was successful George Bush has concluded that it was him who set off the attack. Bush then sends America into war to find Bin Laden, this hunt is not successful, Bush then turns his motives over to Hussein and says that Hussein is helping Bin Laden and concludes that Hussein is possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction and shifts the war into finding Hussein and taking Hussein out of power over Iraq. Bush finds Hussein only to realize and show the world that his accusations about the whole ordeal was false and costing billions and billions of dollars plus the lives of citizens all over the U.S., and that' s why these assumptions are making the war in Iraq similar to Vietnam.
A final reason Iraq is similar to Vietnam is involvement from the beginning. In Vietnam the U.S. aided the French. The U.S. came into the war losing the war because by aiding the French to help them win the war, North Vietnam still defeated the French, so in retrospective the given to the French was useless. That's why the U.S. was not successful in defeating North Vietnam. If the U.S. would have not supported the French coming into this war then in the future of that war the U.S. could have won the Hearts and Minds of the people.
In Iraq the U.S. came into this war losing because they were fighting a war where they didn't know who they enemy was. Bush continued with the troops he sent to Iraq, claiming he was trying to help setup a government in Iraq so that there will never again be a dictator ruler like Saddam. But in reality Bush is controlling Iraq and taking away resources that belonged to the people of Iraq.
As this war continues on more and more qualities of Vietnam are surfacing into the war of Iraq. The question that is being asked is “Is this Bush's Vietnam" and to answer to that question, yes Iraq is becoming Vietnam, everyday this war progresses more and more problems occur making it hard on the soldiers to live in Iraq and to do their job that they were forced to do. Iraq and Vietnam are one in the same and the outcome of this current war can led to more deaths than Vietnam.
[edit] Vietnam/Iraq war Similarities and Differences
[edit] The two wars
The Vietnam & Iraq war: Similarities and differences The Vietnam war lasted from 1965-1975 and was fought to stop communism in Vietnam. The war in Iraq began on March of 2003 with the purpose to stop Saddam Hussein using weapons of mass destruction (W.M.D). The two wars were very similar because both wars were wars of choice for the U.S. because both in Vietnam and Iraq the U.S. had to fight a guerilla warfare and had problems with the question of “who is the enemy?”, and both wars tried to win the “Hearts and Minds” without success.
[edit] The wars of choice
The Vietnam and Iraq wars were wars of choice. This means that the U.S. was not attacked by any of these countries, however they considered both Iraq and Vietnam as threats to U.S. security which made the U.S. decide to invade those countries. In Vietnam the U.S. saw communism as a threat even though Vietnam never attacked the U.S. As President Eisenhower said “The loss of south Vietnam would deny the U.S. access to resources and markets of all of South Asia.” (Gary B. Nash, American Odyssey page 770). This was an example of the Domino Theory which was the idea that if one country went communist, others would soon follow. Thus the U.S. made the choice to go to war in Vietnam to defend its interest.
Iraq was also a war of choice for the U.S. though the issue here wasn’t that of communism, but that Saddam Hussein had W.M.D and could be a threat to the U.S. The Americans believed “that in Iraq the spread of the means (from ideology to weapons) would get Americans killed, either at home or abroad.” (Evan Thomas “The Vietnam Question”, Newsweek April 19, 2004) as part of the war on terror and, the Americans were afraid of the W.M.D that Iraq supposedly had. Based on this fear the U.S. started a war in Iraq although in reality Iraq did not cause any damage or harm to the U.S. Thus again the U.S. is involved on its own accord.
[edit] Unidentified enemy
The U.S. had the same problem with the execution of the war in Vietnam and Iraq. In both places the enemy was fighting a guerilla warfare against the enemy which was very difficult to identify. In Vietnam the enemy was the Vietcong. The Vietcong had used guerilla warfare tactics with the use of small bands of fighters to face U.S. troops. Guerilla fighters avoided open battles. They used ambushes, hit and run raids as well as sabotage. It has been said that “The guerilla wins if it does not lose; the conventional army loses if it does not win.” This means that the U.S. has no chance in defeating this enemy. The enemy in Vietnam was very hard to find because as one soldier said: “The Vietcong would be the farmer you waved to from your jeep in the day who would be the guy with the gun out looking for you at night” (Gary Nash, page 774) This means for the U.S. it would be difficult to get rid of the enemy because anyone could be the enemy.
In Iraq the enemy is also fighting a guerilla warfare. The difference in Iraq was that the war took place in a city, while Vietnam took place in the country side. The difficulties were the same and the guerillas are out killing U.S. soldiers. “Just as in Vietnam that America understands the enemy.” (Evan Thomas) The enemy in Iraq are the Sunnis and Shiites. Although they have been enemies for centuries they might come together to fight Americans. Moreover the enemy the U.S. is fighting could be anyone in Iraq.
[edit] Hearts and minds
The U.S. tried to win the “hearts and minds” in Vietnam and Iraq but had no effect because of the tactics the U.S. used in the war. In Vietnam the Americans wanted to win over friends among the Vietnamese who lived in the country side. For example they sent people to the villages to give medical care and advice on farming. However “United States bombs and bullets undermine these efforts to win Vietnamese “hearts and minds.” The U.S. troops use to go to villages and force the people to move and then burn the fields and empty villages, sometimes they kill people in the village like what happened in the My Lai massacre. According to Seymour Hersh “In March 1968 United States under the command of Lieutenant William L. Cally Jr. had massacred over 350 Vietnamese civilians in the village of My Lai.” (Gary Nash) With these kinds of tactics it was impossible for the U.S. to win the Vietnamese trust.
The U.S. are also trying to win the support of the people in Iraq. According to Evan Thomas “The generals are still torn between winning hearts and minds with soccer games and reconstruction projects and going in hammer and tongs to obliterate the enemy.” However the tactics that the Americans are using aren’t winning many friends. In the city of Fallujah the U.S. had dropped a 500 pound bomb on a place where people are praying which had killed more than 20 people. Thus with tactics like this the Iraqi’s were not going to trust the Americans either.
[edit] The dictator
A big difference between Vietnam and Iraq is how the U.S dealt with the dictators that were ruling both countries. In Vietnam the U.S. supported Ngo Dinh Diem because he was anti-communist. Diem was a man that “ran the country as if it were a personal empire. Half his cabinet members were relatives, and he imprisoned anyone who dared act out against his autocratic rule.” (Gary Nash, page 770) The U.S. was supporting a man that the Vietnamese had overthrown. Saddam Hussein had killed many Iraqi people and who the Iraqi’s hated. The differences however are not important enough to erase the similarities that were discussed earlier.
[edit] Conclusions
The U.S. is involved in a war in Iraq as they were 30 years ago in Vietnam. Both wars were wars of choice for the U.S. In both places the U.S. had fought guerilla warfares that were to difficult to handle, and in both places the U.S. tried to win the “hearts and minds” of people without success. Thus what the U.S. should do is learn its lesson from Vietnam so as to not make mistakes in Iraq.
[edit] Iraq is Bush's Vietnam
[edit] Bush's Order
On March of 2003 George Bush gave the order for United States soldiers to invade Iraq. He had power under the Iraq resolution passed by Congress to attack Iraq, remove Saddam Hussein, and remove their weapons of mass destruction (WMD). In April of 2004 Senator Edward Kennedy referred to President Bush’s war in Iraq as “George Bush’s Vietnam.” In order to validate such a comparison we would have to weigh the similarities and the differences. This also brings up the question of whether the United States learned from its mistakes in Vietnam. The United States’ goals in Vietnam were clear in the end, but they were not accomplished. The United States was not successful for a number of reasons, but the most important included the Vietcong’s nationalism, use of guerilla tactics, and ability to hide amongst their people. The United States tried to counter this with the idea of winning the “hearts and minds” of the people, but their “search and destroy” tactics contradicted this goal. In Iraq American soldiers are fighting fierce insurgents who attack then flee through small alleys and hide amongst the people. Again the United States has tried to follow the idea of winning “the hearts and mind” of the people. But will it be successful? Although it may be said that we, the United States, are not repeating history, but there is indeed many dangerous similarities between Vietnam and Iraq. In Iraq our goal is to set up a stable democratic government. If the United States could not do this in Vietnam, how could we do this in Iraq? If we follow in the same patterns we used in Vietnam, and do not learn from its mistakes, then the American soldiers are fighting an endless battle.
[edit] Guerilla Tactics in Vietnam and Iraq
One similarity between the two wars is the enemies’ nationalism and use of guerilla tactics. In Vietnam the American soldiers were fighting the Vietcong. The Vietcong were a liberation group who were determined and would fight to the death. The Vietcong were having a civil war against South Vietnam’s government originally led by Ngo Dinh Diem. They had an advantage over the United States because of their lack of uniform they could hide among their own people. Their goal was to get any foreign occupation out and unite their country. They had the support of their people (civilians) who would help in any way they could. The Vietcong fought using guerilla tactics. Instead of fighting in full out battles, they set traps in the forest, lured the American soldiers into ambushes, and used the land to their advantage. Soldiers were killed in these traps, and lured into ambushes everyday. One soldier, Private Reginald “Malik” Edwards tells of one account. “We had received fire. All of a sudden we could see people in front of us. Instead of waiting for air support, we returned the fire, and you could see people fall…come to find out it was Bravo company. What the VC (Vietcong) had done was lure Bravo Company in front of us.” (Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans). In this case, the Vietcong had the American soldiers kill off their own people. The enemy, Vietcong, were ruthless and not willing to give up a fight. The American soldiers were not trained to fight in the same strategic ways the Vietcong did. This was an advantage that the Vietcong in Vietnam have and that the insurgents in Iraq have as well.
In Iraq the American soldiers are fighting insurgents that are made up of three different groups. The first are the Sunni who are the minority in Iraq and part of Saddam’s former regime. They want to get their power back. The second are foreign and Iraqi Muslim extremists fighting for Islamic rule and government. The third are religious nationalists the Shiites, the majority group in Iraq, who oppose American occupation. Later the Shiites agreed to a cease fire with the United States, but the insurgents are still made up by the Sunni and Muslim extremists. They believe the United States is against them. One expert on Arab politics states, “many Muslims around the world, perhaps the majority, [believe] that the war on terrorism is in fact a war against Islam.” (Peter Bergen, Back Draft: How the War…). The insurgents do not want the United States in Iraq at all. These insurgents attack soldiers at night or pop out attack soldiers and flee. The American soldiers also worry about hidden bombs on the land. One author who had interviewed many American soldiers mentions, “They’d (soldiers) spent months of long hours in this crazy place (Iraq), knowing that at any moment a homemade bomb might explode, a rocket-propelled grenade might land or an Iraqi child might spit at them.” (“Fighting Words” by Monica Davey). Once again the American soldiers are fighting an unseen enemy that does not fight head on battles. As in Vietnam, the American soldiers are not trained or prepared to fight the insurgents who use guerilla tactics. If the United States learned from the mistakes in Vietnam why are our soldiers not better prepared to do battle with their enemy? This unfortunately is not the only similarity.
[edit] Winning the "Hearts and Minds" of the people.
Another similarity between the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq is the idea of winning the “hearts and minds” of the people. The U.S. repeatedly tried to catch the Vietcong but they easily hid among their own people. The U.S. needed to gain the support of the people to help them find the Vietcong. The U.S. tried to win the “hearts and minds” of the people by trying to help the people, promote democracy, and build up their country. But this did not help because the American soldiers were using search and destroy tactics. The soldiers could not distinguish the Vietcong form the civilian population and as a result many Vietnamese people were killed. According to William Ehrhart, “Their homes had been wrecked, their chickens killed, their rice confiscated-and if they weren’t pro-Vietcong before we got there, they sure were by the time we left.” (Vietnam: A history by Stanley Karnow). . Without the help of the Vietnamese people, the American soldiers had a hard time distinguishing the enemy from the civilians. This in turn resulted in a high rate of civilian deaths. This turned the Vietnamese against the United States. We tried to win the “hearts and minds” of the people but we were bombing and destroying their homes. Without their help we continued to fight an unseen enemy that killed hundreds of soldiers a day without even engaging in real battles.
In Iraq American soldiers are once again faced with an enemy that refuses to show themselves. “…The enemy doesn’t follow the same rules as we do. They use civilians as shields; use mosques…” (John Rios, “Leathernecks Guard the Streets of Ramadi…”). The insurgents also use the tactic of blending in with the civilian population. The U.S. is again torn between winning the “hearts and mind” of the people, but this time it is the Iraqi people. The U.S. are trying to win the “hearts and minds” by having soccer games, holding an election for a democratic government and reconstruction projects. So far, however, the United States is not doing a good job. One American soldier in Iraq tells us, “It’s just like growing up in the ghetto. If the cops roll in and ask where the crack dealers are, they’re not going to tell. Nobody wants that problem. They (Iraqi civilians) know where the muj (insurgents) are. But they’re not going to help us.” (Kevin A., Leathernecks Guard the Streets of Ramadi…). This soldier is saying that if we, the U.S., are hoping to get help from the Iraqi people we should just forget it. The Iraqi people have no intentions to give answers for fear of being killed by insurgents. One difference is the U.S. has not been using the “search and destroy” tactics and has more precise targeting. But this does not help because many civilians are still being killed. One incident reported says, “When Marines came under fire from a mosque, they had to call in an air strike. A 500-pound bomb dropped from a jet…Arab-language TV claimed that the bomb killed more than a score of civilians at prayer.” (Evan Thomas, “The Vietnam Factor”). The American soldiers, in search of insurgents who had opened fire on them, ordered for an air strike. The bomb killed the insurgents, but also killed many civilians as well. With this in mind the United States can only hope that they keep the support of the people from going to the insurgents. Once the support falls into the insurgents’ hands, the United States is guaranteed to lose many more soldiers and face the possibility of losing this war without accomplishing their goals of democracy and anti-terrorism.
[edit] Support of the American people and Courage of the American Soldiers
The war in Vietnam had an effect on both the American soldiers and the American people at home. Many opposed the war because they didn’t know why the United States was there. Others opposed the war because the money spent to fight in Vietnam could be used on domestic programs and fighting poverty at home. At home Senator Robert F. Kennedy believed that the United States was fighting a war that was merely “…the illusion that we can win a war which the South Vietnamese cannot win for themselves.” (Robert F. Kennedy). He felt we were fighting a war for someone who could not fight it themselves. Many soldiers were in Vietnam not knowing whom or for what they were fighting. Some soldiers who supported the war in the beginning to fight for their country came back with a different point of view. They found out that they were not fighting for their country and when fighting didn’t fight a real enemy. Many civilians, old men, women, and children, were killed in the search for the enemy. Many soldiers that came back started groups and organizations against the war like the “Vietnam Veterans Against the War”. One soldier in the war, Private Dennis Mora, stated, “My opposition to this criminal war of aggression has become stronger while I have been in the Army…It is a war of genocide…apart from the tragedy of losing American boys in a war we cannot win, the war is a…waste of resources which are urgently needed at home…Are we ready to accept, in national interest of course, the malnutrition of our children in order to incinerate Vietnamese children?” (“Statement at Court Martial Trial for Refusal to Fight”). Neither the majority of American people nor many American soldiers supported this war. This was a fight we definitely could not win because there was no support from the people.
In Iraq the United States is facing the same problem. Support. Many American soldiers went into war thinking that they were going to fight terrorism in honor of America. When the soldiers arrived they soon saw otherwise. One American soldier, Mike Hoffman, went hesitantly to fight in Iraq but came back disappointed. He states, “The reasons for war were wrong…they were lies. There were no WMDs (weapons of mass destruction). Al Qaeda was not there. And it was evident we couldn’t force democracy on people by force of arms.” (David Goodman, Hell No: America’s Soldiers Speak…). He feels that the United States government has deceived him and is deceiving the American people. As a result Mike Hoffman confounded a group called Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). The soldiers that are still in Iraq dreading and fearing each new day. Many have turned to rap as an outlet from the war and to help them cope with it. One soldier, Sergeant Moncrief, states, “I don’t know any other way to get my feelings out…I was scared over there, and frankly, I think if you weren’t scared, there was something wrong with you. I rap because I feel it.” This war in Iraq has a huge effect on the American people but an even greater effect on the soldiers fighting in it. In March of 2003, 2004, and 2005 there have protests marking the anniversaries of when we went to war in Iraq. The American people are trying to get our soldiers home. We cannot win this war if the soldiers no longer want to fight and nearly half of the American people at home do not support it. There is a lack of morale that was also present during the Vietnam War, in Iraq. We cannot win this war with no support from the American people or the courage of the American soldiers.
[edit] Mistakes and What to Look Foward to
In Vietnam the United States made many mistakes that affected the war greatly. The American soldiers were fighting an enemy that fought using guerilla tactics. The United States then tried to win the “hearts and minds” of the Vietnamese people for support against the Vietcong, but many Vietnamese civilians were killed and gave their support to the Vietcong. There was no support for the soldiers from the American people at home, and the soldiers could not understand why they were fighting. All of these factors put an end to the war before the United States government was ready to put a stop to it. Their goals in Vietnam were not accomplished. Unfortunately the war in Iraq is following in the same patterns. There is guerilla tactic using insurgents, struggle to win the “hearts of minds” of the Iraqi people, and low morale. There are protests at home while another American soldier is killed by a homemade bomb, and rising fear and disappointment among the American soldiers. The United States did not learn from their mistakes in the Vietnam War and are just repeating history. The American government needs to realize we do not belong in Iraq and that we have to bring our brothers and sisters home. If we do not do this soon the United States is not only going to lose the war in Iraq, but hurt our economy drastically and lose our creditability as well. We will not only be the failure of one war but two. We need to pull out now while there is still time, before we lose too many soldiers, and our credibility is flushed down the international toilet.
[edit] Analysis of the Iraq &Vietnam Wars
In Vietnam the U.S tried to win the “hearts and minds” of the Vietnamese people in order to flush the Vietcong from their hiding spots. The U.S knew that in order for them to win this war they had to win the heart and minds of the Vietnamese citizens because the Vietnamese citizens were the core engines to the Vietcong’s war effort. The U.S also knew that it would be almost impossible to defeat the Vietcong if the Vietcong controlled the population’s assistance. The Vietnamese people were confused by the conflict that was happening between the U.S and the Vietcong. In the film, Vietnam: A Television History, one Vietnamese citizen summed up how he felt about being caught in the middle of the struggle, by asking how could he be on the side of anyone when one group threatened to kill him and one group just killed him? This explaination from a Vietnamese villager details the confusion that most of the Vietnamese citizens were going through at the time of the Vietnam war. The Vietnamese people weren’t all necessarily on the side of the Vietcong but they definitely weren’t on the side of the U.S either. The Vietnamese citizens, if anything, couldn’t get over the fact that the U.S were killing their people, which made the hearts and minds strategy a losing one. Vietnam has a strong history of fighting to keep foreigners from taking over their land so they were very nationalistic. So even though some might not have liked the Vietcong they definitely didn’t like the foreign United States invading their beloved country.
The U.S tried to deploy the same strategy of winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi Shiites as they tried to do with the Vietnamese villagers in Vietnam. “We thought that once we were in there the Shiites would be more than willing to help us get rid of Suddam Hussein and his Regime“( Frontline: The Invasion Of Iraq ). This quote, taken from an American soldier during his time in Iraq, it tells us that the U.S made the assumption that they were going to get inside help while fighting the Hussein regime. This assumption turned out to be a big mistake because not only did the U.S not receive any help, but also the enemy the U.S went in to fight were dressing like civilians in an attempt to wage guerilla warfare. With the enemy dressing like civilians the U.S soldiers had no choice but to shoot at anyone who acted suspiciously. Even though the U.S soldiers tried to limit the number of civilian deaths. The Iraqi people still couldn’t get over the fact that the U.S were killing them which made the strategy of “hearts and minds” officially over. The U.S tried to win the hearts and minds of the people in both cases, and in both cases the strategy failed due to mistakes and assumptions made by the United States.
