The Domino Theory
In the wake of the temporary partitioning of Vietnam at the Geneva Conference of 1954, the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration was determined to do what it could to ensure that South Vietnam remained out of the hands of Communists. Eisenhower suggested in a 1954 speech that if the Communists were victorious in Vietnam, the rest of Southeast Asia would "topple like a row of dominoes" to Communist ideology. The Eisenhower administration believed that if Southeast Asia turned Communist it would effect the United States in a great number of ways, including economically and politically. Representative John F. Kennedy, in 1952, said that Asia is an area "where Communists are attempting to seize control...where the tide of events has been moving against us. The Communists have a chance of seizing all of Asia in the next five or six years." The assumption of Eisenhower and his administration that Communism would spread like a bad virus was a false one. Not only was their ample evidence during the actual fighting of the Vietnam War that this was not the case, but from declassified papers and notes it can be shown that the domino theory was notably inaccurate. Some even thought the domino theory might adverse effects on the Unite
During a visit to Vietnam, twenty-two years after the war, Robert McNamara, former US Secretary of Defense from 1961 to 1968, said, "Human beings have to examine their failures. We've got to acquaint people with how dangerous it is for political leaders to behave the way we did." McNamara was in favor of escalating the Vietnam War in 1964, but he realized that what the US was fighting for was not in the best interest of the people of Vietnam. The war was now over and it had resulted in the reunified, Communist Vietnam that Hanoi had desired and the US had fought so hard against. But, Vietnam had not become the agent of Soviet and Chinese Communism that Washington had feared. Communism in Indochina had not toppled the dominoes of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Asian countries as predicted. Moreover, the United States lost the war and lives of thousands without realizing the true goals of the war. Tran Quang Co, a former First deputy Foreign Minister in Vietnam, pointed out during McNamara's visit that "the nature of the struggle was not to undermine neighboring countries." Co added, "The US failed to understand the objective of our war. It was for our own national liberation and reunification." This negates America's purpose for entering the war and stopping the spread of Communism. The North Vietnamese were fighting for nationalism, not for the sake of the Communist superpowers. In addition, Co pointed out what is now obvious since the demise of the Soviet Union: Vietnam was not a tool of world Communism. The domino theory was a false assumption and taught the United States a great lesson in foreign diplomacy. Vietnam was fighting for the same things the US fought for in the 1770's. To simplify an issue, people's basic instincts are to want freedom and independence. In Vietnam, that was all they wanted. If that was what the people of Vietnam wanted then they should have been able to decide that for themselves. It was not up to the United States or any other country to choose Vietnam's future for them. This is what the United States did not understand. They also did not understand that an independent Vietnam meant freedom for millions of people, which is what the US should want for all people, not the spread of Communism throughout the world. The Soviet Union once again had a similar outlook on Vietnam as China did. When US advisors asked how Communist Ho Chi Minh was the answer came back that he was definitely a Communist, but that he put nationalism first and had no direct ties to the Soviet Union. He was not a tool of Communism, in fact, Ho was relentless in his pursuit of direct ties to the United States. Also, the Soviet Union was more anxious to pursue džtente and had no special concern for Southeast Asia. The Soviet Union would not even recognize the freedom and independence of Vietnam. They only recognized the state of Vietnam after the Chinese recognized them when the People's Republic of China gained its independence in 1949. Finally, the Soviet Union and China both made it clear that in the face of an American threat to intervene, the Vietnamese would have to compromise. This meant the political reality of Viet Minh power in Vietnam would have to yield to the larger political reality of its powerlessness in the world at large. All in all, both Communist superpowers were not ready to compromise their position in the world to support Vietnam in their quest for independence or in the Soviet Union's case to even recognize them. In addition to the Communist superpowers looking inward and concentrating more heavily on internal affairs, there had never been a monolithic, expansionist world Communist system dominated by Moscow and/or Beijing, although every US president since Harry Truman claimed to be fighting it. If there was, then why were China and the Soviet Union fighting each other instead of working together to spread Communism? The relationship between the Communist
Some common words found in the essay are:
Soviet Union, United States', Union Vietnam, Viet Minh, Southeast Asia, North Vietnamese, Vietnam China, Soviet Union's, Asia Communists, Vietnam McNamara's, soviet union, china soviet union, china soviet, domino theory, southeast asia, spread communism, south vietnam, communist superpowers, united states', north vietnamese, outcome vietnam, soviet union china, north vietnam south, freedom independence vietnam, vietnam south vietnam,
Approximate Word count = 2703
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)
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