Mussolini started out as an moderate socialist (he was even at the Second International); he generally improved the lives of Italians, including fighting the Mafia and increasing literacy; and his nationalism began primarily as an urge to free Trieste from Austria. However, by the time we interacted with him, he was solidly allied to Hitler, and dedicated to the spread of fascist style government and the dominance of Germany and Italy over Europe.
By the time we had much to do with Ho, he was firmly Communist, sponsored by Beijing, which was in turn sponsored by Moscow, and therefore dedicated to Communist revolution and, potentially, Vietnamese regional hegemony.
Actually, a propos the Domino Theory, Laos and Cambodia both went Communist, and it is impossible to say what might have happened to Thailand and Burma if we had not exhausted Vietnam in war.
I am not going to defend Diem. The lesser evilism has to do with the baneful effect of Communist control overall, and the greater promise of regimes that are not totalitarian.
Sure, we are not pristine, and therefore provide some fodder for attack. I am not even saying that we are always right, or always good. There are plenty of things to criticize, rightly or wrongly. I am merely saying that most of our activities in this sphere reflect our values, as applied to the particular conundrum, and our conception of how we should act as a great nation. |
