| One of the most misleading arguments against the | | | | army in the world -- an army that both the Soviet |
| American involvement in Iraq today is the false | | | | Union and the United States had helped to create -- |
| comparison many people make to the Vietnam | | | | was being turned against two long-time American |
| conflict. Vietnam left a bitterness in our hearts that is | | | | allies; Kuwait Saudi Arabia.Why are they long-time |
| both irrational and completely unnecessary. And now | | | | American allies? Because President Franklin Roosevelt |
| unscrupulous people are using that bitterness to fuel | | | | realized that the United States would need a secure |
| support for the anti-war movement.During the Vietnam | | | | supply of foreign oil. So he arranged for a mutual |
| War, Americans suffered through two conflicts. The | | | | defense treaty with Saudi Arabia that has been |
| fighting overseas was no more bitter or sectarian than | | | | honored and in force for about 70 years. People don't |
| the disagreements we experienced among ourselves | | | | invade Saudi Arabia because the United States won't |
| here at home. The war was unpopular because the | | | | allow it, not because everyone loves the |
| United States did not enter it with a goal to win or a | | | | Saudis.Nonetheless, like Hitler before him, once |
| strategy for resolving the core conflict. We invaded | | | | Saddam set himself on the path to war, he couldn't |
| Iraq with the intention of toppling Saddam Hussein's | | | | stop himself. So we fought the First Persian Gulf War |
| government and replacing it with a more peaceful, | | | | to stop the advance of Saddam's armies into Saudi |
| stable government.Presidents John F. Kennedy and | | | | Arabia. We freed Kuwait in the process, but when the |
| Lyndon B. Johnson, who committed American forces | | | | Kurds and Shiite Iraqis rebelled against Saddam, we did |
| to battle, viewed the Vietnam conflict as a proxy battle | | | | nothing. The first President Bush, like Presidents Nixon |
| between the two superpowers (the United States and | | | | and Reagan before him, simply walked away from a |
| the Soviet Union). To the Vietnamese, the conflict was | | | | destabilized situation American foreign policy had |
| always about whether the North would dominate the | | | | created. When the world asked President Bush what |
| South.In fact, anyone familiar with Vietnamese history | | | | should be done about Saddam, he said that was up to |
| understands that for the past 1500 years the | | | | the Iraqi people. But when the Iraqi people failed to |
| Vietnamese peoples have repeatedly fought each | | | | defeat Saddam's remaining forces, the United States |
| other in addition to outsiders. The conflict between | | | | did nothing.Well, that's not entirely true. We persuaded |
| North Vietnam and South Vietnam was deeply rooted | | | | the United Nations to impose 12 years' worth of |
| in ancient rivalries and cultural distinctions.Today, people | | | | sanctions on Iraq. Those sanctions, intended to punish |
| frequently criticize the American exit-policy of | | | | Saddam for his bad behavior, had the most direct |
| "Vietnamization", by which we substantially transferred | | | | impact on the Iraqi people. Some non-governmental |
| the responsibility for the conflict back to the South | | | | organizations have estimated that as many as 50,000 |
| Vietnamese. Many Americans believe the South | | | | Iraqi children suffered from malnutrition every year |
| Vietnamese people did not stand up for themselves. In | | | | (many of them dying from lack of basic care). If the |
| reality, more than 240,000 South Vietnamese soldiers | | | | estimates are accurate, about 500,000 Iraqi children |
| died defending their country.The truth of the matter is | | | | died during the years of the sanctions. If they are only |
| that the South Vietnamese were simply overwhelmed | | | | 1/10th true, as many as 50,000 Iraqi children died.From |
| by a more determined, better organized enemy. They | | | | 2002 to the end of 2005, fewer than 50,000 Iraqi |
| were conquered by a neighboring, rival nation. From the | | | | civilians are believed to have been killed in the |
| days of Ho Chi Minh, North Vietnam's goal was to | | | | insurgency. So far, history indicates that our peaceful |
| conquer the south. Ho's ambition was no different from | | | | policies toward Saddam were deadlier for the Iraqi |
| the many kings and emperors who invaded southern | | | | people than the aftermath of our invasion.Iraq today |
| Vietnam in past centuries.American foreign policy in the | | | | stands on the brink of new nationhood. Technically, like |
| 1960s was strongly influenced by the Domino Theory. | | | | Afghanistan, Iraq now has a new government that has |
| Thanks to President Franklin Roosevelt and President | | | | been sanctioned by at least a majority of its people. |
| Harry Truman, we had seen how the Domino Theory | | | | The insurgency in Iraq, unlike the Viet Cong insurgency |
| could work in eastern Europe. We gave the Soviet | | | | of the 1960s, is not being directed by a foreign power |
| Union effective control over Poland, East Germany, | | | | which intends to invade and conquer Iraq.Of course, it |
| Hungary, Bulgaria, and other nations. When Communist | | | | could be argued that Al Qaida would now very much |
| influence became rooted in North Vietnam as well as | | | | like to see the United States leave Iraq before the |
| China, American leaders feared that all of Asia might | | | | new Iraqi government can defend itself. But despite its |
| succumb. Given enough allies, the Soviet Union might | | | | widespread reach, Al Qaida is not a country. Its |
| have proven willing to start another world war.How | | | | leadership is not the seasoned leadership of a formal |
| realistic was this fear? We'll never know. What we do | | | | state government. Al Qaida can no more restore |
| know is that American foreign policy was based on | | | | stability to Iraq than any well organized militia or street |
| the assumption that the Soviet Union intended to | | | | gang would be able to.And that's the problem we face |
| export its brand of communism throughout the | | | | in Iraq today. It's not that if we stay someone will |
| world.Ironically, today's Iraq was shaped in part by that | | | | continue to drain our resources year after year. It's |
| American foreign policy. Because we feared Soviet | | | | that, when we leave, there will be no one to fill the |
| use of nuclear weapons, we used proxy nations to | | | | vacuum -- except Al Qaida.For all the bitterness |
| wage our wars throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and | | | | between the United States and Vietnam's Communist |
| 1980s. Iraq became one of our proxies after Iran fell | | | | government, we have nonetheless been at peace for |
| into the control of Ayatollah Khomeini and his Islamic | | | | 30 years and we are now on the brink of normalizing |
| revolutionaries. Because Khomeini's Iran humiliated the | | | | relations. Millions of people suffered terribly in the wake |
| United States and became hostile, we used Iraq to | | | | of the fall of South Vietnam, but the United States and |
| punish the Iranian people. At the same time, our | | | | other nations opened their doors to many refugees |
| support for Iraq ensured that the Soviet Union didn't | | | | from South Vietnam. They have had a hard life, but |
| acquire more influence in the Middle East (and it | | | | they have been given an opportunity to start over.We |
| already had a proxy in Syria).The problem with using | | | | Americans need to accept responsibility for our |
| Iraq, or any nation, as a proxy is that American | | | | government's foreign policies. Those policies have |
| leadership doesn't take into consideration cultural | | | | fueled the resentment that drives support to terrorist |
| values or conflicts. For example, when the Soviet | | | | groups like Al Qaida. But those policies created the |
| Union invaded Afghanistan, the United States did not | | | | reasons we had to invade both Afghanistan and |
| hesitate to provide help to the Mujahedeen. We paid | | | | Iraq.President Bush's political enemies, bitter and |
| for their war against the Soviets, but we did nothing to | | | | resentful over his election to the Presidency in 2000, |
| ensure a quick defeat of Soviet troops. Instead, we | | | | have ceaselessly burdened the American people with |
| helped keep the war going until the Soviet simply | | | | propaganda that is really only intended to help bring the |
| became so tired of the conflict they went home.Sound | | | | Democratic party back into power. Virtually all of the |
| familiar? That was what they did to us in Vietnam. The | | | | major voices of opposition are long-time Democrats |
| Soviet Union supported North Vietnam in the hope that | | | | and supporters of the Democratic Party.There is an |
| we would get tired and go home.When the Soviets | | | | old saying: in every war, the truth is the first victim of |
| left Afghanistan, so did we. When we left South | | | | the conflict. We are today fighting many more conflicts |
| Vietnam, North Vietnam began asserting its own | | | | than we faced 30 years ago. President Bush's policies |
| agenda. North Vietnam no longer needed the Soviet | | | | may be no better than those of Franklin Roosevelt |
| Union. Afghanistan, on the other hand, had no | | | | and John Kennedy, but his hand is to some extent |
| alternative to Soviet power. The various warlords who | | | | guided by their hands.Americans don't have to like |
| had helped defeat the Soviets attempted to form a | | | | President Bush. We don't have to respect his |
| new government in Afghanistan but they fell to fighting | | | | intelligence. But we should not allow political activists to |
| among themselves. Eventually, Afghanistan was left | | | | hand us our feelings on a platter of lies.But if we |
| without a central government (much like Somalia, | | | | choose to walk away from Iraq before the Iraqi |
| another failed American experiment).The Taliban rose | | | | government has a reasonable chance of surviving, if |
| up to fill the vacuum in Afghanistan, and because they | | | | we allow the Iraqi insurgents to do what the Viet Cong |
| had no support from America and no ties to American | | | | could not do, if we refuse to accept responsibility for |
| culture, they never became our friends. Instead, they | | | | what we have done in the past, we'll have to return to |
| befriended the extremely anti-American Al Qaida. So | | | | Iraq when it has fallen into the wrong hands.After the |
| we eventually had to topple the Taliban in order to | | | | First World War, we refused to participate in the |
| drive Al Qaida out of Afghanistan.We have not yet | | | | League of Nations and subsequently found ourselves |
| had to return to Vietnam to drive anyone out of South | | | | embroiled in the Second World War.We walked away |
| Vietnam. In fact, we're in the process of establishing | | | | from South Vietnam and now every petty conflict is |
| normal relations with the Vietnamese government.The | | | | wrongly compared to the Vietnam war. People regard |
| difference between Vietnam and Afghanistan is that | | | | America as weak, vacillating, and unreliable. Worse, |
| when we left South Vietnam, another government | | | | they think we can be beaten just by waiting longer |
| moved in and imposed its will on the South | | | | than we are willing to wait.We used Iraq to punish Iran |
| Vietnamese people. When we left Afghanistan, no one | | | | and only walked away after Saddam began using |
| cared enough to do anything.We used Iraq to weaken | | | | chemical weapons indiscriminantly. In doing so, we |
| an enemy state (Iran) just as we used Afghanistan to | | | | ensured we would have to fight Iraq in at least two |
| weaken an enemy state (the Soviet Union). This was | | | | wars.We used Afghanistan to punish the Soviet Union |
| the lesson we learned from Vietnam. When you don't | | | | and then we walked away without helping the Afghan |
| want to fight a war, but you want to defeat an enemy, | | | | people build a stable new government. In doing so, we |
| get someone else to fight your enemy until the enemy | | | | laid the foundations for September 11.If we walk away |
| can fight no more.However, when the Iraq-Iran conflict | | | | from Iraq today before it is time for us to leave, we'll |
| ended, the United States did nothing to ensure that | | | | pay a heavy price in the future. So history has shown |
| Saddam Hussein, who had become used to mobilizing | | | | us.We need to stay in Iraq simply because we should |
| his people for war against his neighbors, would stand | | | | be tired of making horrendously bad mistakes.Michael |
| down and become a peaceful regional power. | | | | Martinez writes essays on a variety of topics. He also |
| Saddam's ambition to control huge oil reserves (which | | | | operates a popular network of Web sites devoted |
| had led him to attack Iran in the first place) led him to | | | | primarily to science fiction and fantasy. |
| look south instead of east.Suddenly, the fourth largest | | | | |