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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (101491)	6/18/2003 12:45:52 AM
From: Dayuhan	Respond to of 281500

Are you saying that N. Vietnam could have sustained their aggression without Chinese and Russian support? At its peak level, no. At a level sufficient to assure the eventual collapse of the South Vietnamese government, yes. It is often said that massive bombing would have forced the North Vietnamese to negotiate, and this is true. Does anybody really think that negotiation would have settled the issue, or represented anything more than a change in Vietnamese tactics? It is often said that attacking ships, mining Haiphong harbor, and attacking rail traffic from China would have interrupted foreign support. Does anybody believe that this support would have stopped altogether, or that it would not have gone back to its former level as soon as US forces pulled back? It is often said that the US could have “won” if it had the commitment. Does anybody think that commitment emerges purely from ideological conviction? Our commitment was inherently limited by the complete lack of any vital US interest at stake. Our ability to achieve our goal was inherently limited by the hopelessly inept governments with which we worked. Our enemies knew this. Are you saying that the Communist government that existed then and since in Vietnam is pure, fair, and entirely legitimate in it's governance of its people? I said nothing of the sort. The Communist government that took power after the war absolutely sucked, which puts it at par with its predecessors. The current government is no model of purity, fairness, and legitimacy, but it's probably better than anything they’ve had this century. Are you saying that NOTHING could have occurred which would have stopped the inexorable tide of N. Vietnamese superiority?? Lots of things could have been done, but most needed to be done way before 1961.