After learning about the Vietnam War on Friday in class, I drew a couple of parallels between the Vietnam war and the Iraq war, most notably in what our government told us, or rather didn't tell us, about those wars. During the Vietnam war, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared that reason he went to war with Vietnam was due to the Gulf of Tonkin, and the torpedo of an American ship. However, there is much speculation as to whether or not the torpedo of this ship actually happened.
But one of the main reasons that we went to war with Vietnam was to stop the spread of communism. This somewhat resembles the current war in Iraq. The commonly known reason for going to war with Iraq was that the American government believed that Saddam Hussein was collecting materials to build weapons of mass destruction, however this too was never proved. Some are saying that the actual reason we went to war with Iraq was so we could gain access to their oil reserves, but once again this is merely speculation, and has not been proved. I thought it was interesting that in both cases our government did not tell us exactly what was happening with the war, or why we went to war in the first place, and it reminds me of what we have been discussing in class. When, if ever, should the government be allowed to hide important pieces of information from citizens of this country? In my opinion, never. Even during perilous times, American citizens have a right to know what is going on in their country, rather than being left in the dark.
But one of the main reasons that we went to war with Vietnam was to stop the spread of communism. This somewhat resembles the current war in Iraq. The commonly known reason for going to war with Iraq was that the American government believed that Saddam Hussein was collecting materials to build weapons of mass destruction, however this too was never proved. Some are saying that the actual reason we went to war with Iraq was so we could gain access to their oil reserves, but once again this is merely speculation, and has not been proved. I thought it was interesting that in both cases our government did not tell us exactly what was happening with the war, or why we went to war in the first place, and it reminds me of what we have been discussing in class. When, if ever, should the government be allowed to hide important pieces of information from citizens of this country? In my opinion, never. Even during perilous times, American citizens have a right to know what is going on in their country, rather than being left in the dark.
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteI also find it interesting that both wars were supposedly started in response to an attack, the War on Terror's Gulf of Tonkin being 9/11. When tragedy gets the public riled up I think we are less likely to question aggressive military action by our leaders. In both cases on could argue that the US government abused this fact.
Kristen, this post is AWESOME! I am so glad you were able to make this parallel. The Gulf of Tonkin was almost an excuse to get more involved in Vietnam, even though the original attack (if it actually ever happened) was provoked. It, followed by the release of the Pentagon Papers left citizens very confused and less than eager to trust their government. The same thing is happening today, the right to information is a civil liberty that seems to be constantly up for interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, Kristin. Carolyn, you mentioned the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which reminds me a lot of the WMD's the Bush administration said to have found. There never were any weapons of mass destruction found, but it was a reason for the United States to begin the war on terror. There were other reasons besides WMD's, but it was a major factor in the decision to take many of our troop to the Middle East where we still are today.
ReplyDeleteKristen I agree with you as well. I also find it interesting how in both cases, Vietnam and Iraq, majority of the US citizens don't understand the mission of the war, or the war itself. The draftees in Vietnam had very little idea what they were fighting for. Today, if you pulled a random person off the street and asked them about the conflict in Iraq, it's likely they wouldn't have an answer, or a correct answer. The fact is, how can we support a war that we don't even understand?
ReplyDeleteNice post, Kristen. Thoughtful analysis, but it'd be nice to cleave even more closely to a specific text. Overall, nice job this term!
ReplyDelete