Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: GST who wrote (201051)	9/3/2006 1:33:06 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

"I think there are some significant differences between Vietnam and Iraq" There sure are. The languages are entirely different. Rains a lot more in Nam, too.

To: GST who wrote (201051)	9/3/2006 11:53:02 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 281500

It seemed like the Vietnamese, despite the war, always considered themselves one people — regardless of north or south, they always thought they'd be reunited. And how does this differ from the Koreans? If we adopted your conclusions, There would be no S. Korea right now. It would look just like N. Korea and it's people would be worshipping the "Dear Son". The manner in which the Vietnam war was fought is primarily due to the reason the NVA were able to conquer it. Two primary strategies doomed the effort in Vietnam.. The first was not "Vietnamizing" the struggle more rapidly and requiring their army to handle more of the fighting and sending the signal to any of the corrupt leaders in the south that we expected results and if those results were not achieved, we'd bail. Secondly, permitting the NVA to have unfettered access to Laos and Cambodia forced both the ARVN and US forces to have to defend the entire S. Vietnamese border, rather than merely the narrow DMZ, or even the area bisecting Laos between the DMZ and Thai border. You cannot win a war by denying your forces the authorization to strike at the enemy's logistics and reorganization areas. Yet, we never really attempted to interdict or cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail. If we left Iraq there would probably be continued chaos but I can't see how it could be any worse than it is today when we see the terrible bombings and killings every day." You're a fool if you can't see how it could be worse. Iraq sits on at least the second largest oil reserves in the world, if not the largest. Do you think that surrounding countries are just going to sit back and not attempt to dominate that wealth (or at least deny their rivals the ability to dominate it)?? At least you've proven part of your point. You can take heart that I have recognized that you are at least ONE AMERICAN who shows an "abysmal ignorance of the history, politics, cultural realities of both regions".. Hawk