U.S. Foreign Policy In Vietnam Essays - Vietnam War,

U.S. Foreign Policy in Vietnam U.S. Foreign Policy in Vietnam In the history of the United States, our foreign policy has caused many disputes over the proper role in international affairs. Because of the unique beliefs and ideals by which we live in this country, we feel obligated to act as leaders of the world and help other countries in need. Therefore, the U.S. has attempted to somehow combine this attitude with economic and strategic gain. After World War II, the Cold War was initiated, and America's fear of communism led Truman to begin the endeavors of the "containment" of communism. As a result, the U.S. became involved with Korea and then Vietnam. The U.S. was determined not to let South Vietnam fall to the communists because President Eisenhower once stated that the fall of Vietnam would have a "domino" effect. Unfortunately, not everyone viewed Vietnam the same way as Eisenhower. Opponents of the war believed that the U.S. had no right to intervene in this civil war, while supporters maintain the attitude of moral obligation for the world by defending freedom and democracy from communism. Three historians in Conflict and Consensus carefully examine our foreign policy and involvement in the Vietnam War. Each article emphasizes different points and explains how one of the most powerful countries in the world lost the war. In the first article, "God's Country and American Know-How," Loren Baritz argues that the American myth of superiority based on nationalism, technology, and moral ideals brought the U.S. into the war. The Americans never understood the Vietnamese culture and their true sentiments on the war. Nevertheless, because of our power and moral prowess, the U.S. was confident that we would prevail. This was our biggest mistake; we were blind and "ignorant"(473). Baritz states that "we were frustrated by the incomprehensible behavior of our Vietnamese enemies and bewildered by the inexplicable behavior of our Vietnamese friends"(470). Because of our isolation on the North American Continent, the U.S. had a difficult time understanding the exotic cultures around the world, especially Vietnam. Thus, as a direct result, Americans considered foreign courtesies and rituals crude and inferior to the customs of the civilized country of America. This point is quite sad and embarassing, but Baritz points out that "cultural isolation"(476) occurs all over the world. It is the Solipsistic philosophy that the universe revolves around the earth, just as all the nations of the world revolve around the U.S. According to John Winthrop, we are the "Chosen People"(473) because of God's favor and presence. So are we obligated to set the standards of culture for the world? Because of our prominence and success as a prosperous nation, we stand forth as leaders; however, no country can define the culture of another nation. The U.S. failed to understand that "everyone prefers their own language, diet and funeral customs"(475). Upon first impression, the American soldiers viewed the Vietnamese people as savages because "they lived like animals"(470). Thus, the soldiers failed to appreciate "the organic nature of Vietnamese society, the significance of village life, the meaning of ancestors, the relationship of the family to the state, the subordinate role of the individual, and the eternal quest for universal agreement"(470). Just because the Vietnamese were poor, we presumed that they were begging for our help; we were "attempting to build a nation in our own image"(471). Furthermore, it is not the "ingratitude or stupidity"(470) which sparked the Vietnamese resistance against U.S. soldiers but rather a cultural misunderstanding. Baritz believes that this ignorance of culture is one of the primary reasons why we lost the war. Dr. Henry Kissinger even admitted that "no one in this government understands North Vietnam"(471). We even thought we understood the Vietnamese to some extent by thinking that "life is cheap in the Orient"(471). However, this ridiculous comment rose from our "ability to use technology to protect our own troops while the North Vietnamese were forced to rely on people, their only resource"(471). This meant that the Vietnamese were willing to sacrifice as many men as possible to win the war. Our ignorance prevented us from overcoming this kind of warfare. As for the cultural misunderstanding of our allies, the South Vietnamese, Baritz points out one custom which the American soldiers could not tolerate: soldiers holding hands. Vietnamese soldiers held hands with other accompanying soldiers. This was a show of friendship for the Vietnamese, but for Americans, holding hands was a sign of homosexuality. American soldiers measured up to "the military's definition of manhood"(472) by compeletely condemning homosexuality. This simple custom caused many problems between the U.S. soldiers and the South Vietnamese. Baritz now provides the