Is Iraq another Vietnam?
by Carl K. Savich
A version of this article appeared initially on December 30, 2004 in the Sterling Heights (MI) Mirror. According to the author, the fact that it won a special commendation from the paper indicates “the growing antipathy to the war in the American heartland.”
As more U.S. troops are killed and wounded in Iraq and the occupied country plunges into greater bloodshed and strife, the obvious question arises: Is Iraq another Vietnam? Both conflicts have strong similarities.Both wars were based on blatant and outright lies. Vietnam was based on the lie that the South Vietnamese people supported the right-wing dictators we put into power. The U.S. military occupation was then needed to keep those puppets in power. Iraq is based on the lie that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. None were ever found and none ever existed. Moreover, he was alleged to have a connection to Al-Qaeda. But no connection was ever found.
Furthermore, we were told that the Iraqi people support U.S. military occupation. Yet this November occurred the worst day for U.S. forces in Iraq to date, the day when more U.S. troops than were killed by Iraqi insurgents than on any previous day in the war. The violence shows no signs of letting up as we get closer to the so-called “elections” at the end of this month. So is it getting better or worse in Iraq?
Both the Vietnam and Iraq conflicts were based on ideological underpinnings. Vietnam was based on the need to stop Communist expansion and to stop a domino effect, called by the name of the Domino Theory. Iraq is based on the need to wage a “war on terrorism.”
However, both had the opposite effects of those intended. U.S. intervention in Vietnam galvanized the Communist bloc and united the USSR, China, Vietnam, and the rest of the Communist world. The U.S. war in Vietnam made the Communist bloc stronger, not weaker. In Iraq, we have galvanized anti-U.S. sentiment in the Muslim world with a brutal occupation that includes the torture at Abu Ghraib, the destruction of Fallujah, and the military occupation of the country. Osama bin Laden has used the Iraqi war to justify his anti-U.S. stance and to recruit more jihad fighters as well.
The U.S. troop strength in Vietnam kept rising. It was never enough to defeat the Viet Cong. In Iraq, more and more U.S. reservists are being sent in, and stays are being extended. There are simply not enough troops to defeat the Iraqi insurgency.
The return of flag-draped coffins during the Vietnam War generated anti-war sentiment. In the Iraqi war, the U.S. government has prohibited the showing of coffins by the media. In both wars, U.S. military casualties are a key focus of coverage or lack of coverage. But the decision not to allow media coverage of coffins is a direct “lesson” of the Vietnam War. Showing U.S. casualties will potentially create anti-war attitudes.
There was no long-term strategy in Vietnam, no light at the end of the tunnel. Is there an exit strategy in Iraq? We are told that the imminent elections will help establish democracy there and be a decisive turning point- but nevertheless, that U.S. troops will remain in this new “democracy.”
So what, if anything, will actually change? There is the potential that the election will actually cause more problems than it solves, if it inflames existing sectarian and ethnic tensions. The bottom line is this: for all Iraqis, the U.S. forces will remain an occupation army. When, if ever, will they leave? We are not told. It looks like there is no exit strategy in Iraq, either.
Both Vietnam and Iraq are representative of quagmires. They are not wars based on facts, but rather on ideology, arrogance and manipulation.
How can we best support U.S. troops in Iraq? We can best do it by telling the truth, and by not spreading lies. We can support our troops by not falling for deceptions that result in needless deaths. In a democracy, the truth is of high value. Blind obedience and brainwashing are anathema in a democracy. We need to think, and be critical of the government’s statements and explanations. Ignorance will not help our troops.