From Saigon To Kabul

Comparing the aftermath of Vietnam to Afghanistan

IN THE NEWS:

On April 14, President Biden questioned, perhaps rhetorically, when is the right time to leave Afghanistan for good. He then gave the answer: September 11, 2021.

For the last month, pundits have drawn comparisons to the Vietnam War… how we left and what we left behind.

To better understand the history of the Vietnam War, how it started, and how its American-declared end wasn’t truly the War’s end, we spoke with Professor Amanda Demmer of Virginia Tech, who has recently published a book about Vietnam’s aftermath.

IN THE PAST:

Vietnam had no Pearl Harbor or 9/11-like moment. Yet, it became a war that dragged on for 20 years. To fight that war, we reinstituted the draft and lost 58,000 American lives. Professor Demmer explains how Vietnam got started, how it continued, and how it escalated.

There is more to our involvement in Vietnam than we know and remember. For example, Ho Chi Minh was once an American ally, and his writings and aspirations for Vietnam were inspired by our founders. Inspiration is perhaps too weak of a word here. He was more than inspired. He liberally copied from our Declaration of Independence.