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