THE DOMINO THEORY

Here is the problem with the quagmire comparison between Vietnam, also known as the 10,000 day war, and the current Iraqi War known as the 2, 190 day war. Vietnam has topography much like Korea; it is a sea coast nation. When you attack and aim your military towards the coastal regions; you let the enemy attack in the opposite direction thus cutting any possibility of logistics. It is quite simple and the same applies to the capture of ports and warm waterways. Korea and Vietnam are not interchangeable.

Vietnam was under a lot of development and many intelligentsias were sent to either Europe or the United States for engineering and electrical degrees. This immediately signaled a problem to the communist forces when they see migrations of scientists in Western universities. The Vietnamese and especially the South Vietnamese were considered the light skin coastal region and not the villages of the central and northern highlands where there was no education and poor living standards.

This region did not explode in trade and commerce until the late 1970s when foreign good such as the Japanese began to spurn free trade and also regional development. It will not be until the late 1980s before see actually see the maturation of the Japanese economy and then in 1996-98 or around there does the yen actually overtake the US greenback.

Had the communist been more aggressive, it would have slowed the pace of both free trade and also the regional development. This regional development is based on double digit economic growth spurts roughly from 1989 to 2000 (rough estimate). When you have six to seven developing nations with a growth rate in every aspect of their economy from GNP to industrial capacity of a ration in double digits each year for more than a decade that is massive compared to what was occurring with communism during this time. This is why China and the US have good relations and China likes trade with their Asian partners.

Again, do you see how this domino theory works and how it affects the aggressive levels of people? Vietnam was a proxy war and China supported the North Vietnamese and there were some Soviets in North Vietnam. Korea had massive Soviet presence and advisors. These proxy wars are like testing grounds and where they send the best of the best forces. This quagmire is based on the idea that wars cannot be won. We can really stretch the imagination and ask when is a war ever won?

I never viewed Vietnam like how you view it. We went there to make a difference and to try and help people be free. We did the same in Iraq. That will never change. You can criticize what you will and explain all the graphs and data that you wish; the fact that war are not fought to better any individual lives or to promote freedom is false. You will not convince over Vietnam or Iraq, I’m sorry.

It is a shame that the North Vietnamese had more manpower and more conviction over the South Vietnamese. Death did not even scare or deter them, thus the term “sappers.” Your term VC is just a designation of an irregular or uniformed troop. Thus a VC can be any form of localize militia and with no central command and formation. You are talking about a nation that had repelled invasion since the 1940s with the Chinese, Vichy French, The Japanese, then the French Colonist, and I call it a Civil War to determine whether the union would separate or be unified. Common-isms were the themes of that Civil War.

I do not see it as a quagmire but with the TET campaign in 1968, the bombings in the early 70s, the peace treaty, and finally the final assault in 1975 to overtake Saigon; you see, it could have and would have lasted for eternity. What will make the communist agree to lessen their military aggressions? They used the peace treaty (Paris) in 72 which led to the draw down of US forces to stage a final assault to overpower the forces of the South Vietnamese and remaining US forces. Almost TET likes tactics and I would not say a quagmire but military strategy. Use the Treaty of Paris to put a spell on people and then invade. Peace is truly a dirty word and not to be unheard.

Now I have spoken to many people who either saw the fight to the death or ran for their lives when they saw the sheer number of NVA regular troops storming towards them. It was the end of the world, sheer insanity even after a century of war. The VC also wreaked confusion behind the lines. It was mayhem and a lot of people died or suffered tremendously, it is no joke. I have spoken to those who wanted to go back into Vietnam years later and I have spoken to people who emerged out of the re-education camps missing an eye or several fingers. There is not much I do not know about that war, quagmire, I do not know and can possibly argue against. It is with less certainty to call it that than an elusive enemy of military prowess. You tell me if Iraq is a quagmire.