Could the anti-war movement here in America be hurting the troops on the Iraq battlefield?

Question

Colonel Bui Tin of the North Vietnamese Army said this,” The American antiwar movement was essential to our strategy", "Visits to Hanoi made by persons such as Jane Fonda, former Attorney General Ramsey Clark and various church ministers gave us confidence that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses", "America lost because of its democracy; through dissent and protest it lost the ability to mobilize a will to win."

The Tet Offensive in 1968 was a huge military defeat for the North Vietnam Army. This could have signaled the coming ended to the war with an American victory. However, because of the antiwar protest in the U.S. the NVA were emboldened and continued to fight. From 1969 until the end of the war, over 20,000 American soldiers lost their lives in a war that the United States did not have the resolve to win.

***Could this be happening today? Could todays protesters be puting our troops in harms way?

Please read my additions.

This is not a question about the affect on troop morale!

This is not a question of how or why they got there!

***Does the antiwar movement embolden the insurgents to kill our troops? To continue the fight?

ONLY LOGICAL ARGUMENTS

http://www.1stcavmedic.com/jane_fonda.htm

http://www.lcompanyranger.com/weapons/colonelbuitinpage.htm

http://www.viet-myths.net/BuiTin.htm

http://www.grunt.com/scuttlebutt/corps-stories/vietnam/north.asp

I asked this question once before and never got a LOGICAL, ON TOPIC argument!

Wow! Some of you must not be very educated. READ the directions! Holy Sh*t. The question is, "Does the antiwar movement embolden the insergents?" Yes or NO!

If no, please provide a logical argument!

Again, of those who said no, not one of you could provide a reasonable argument! Fact is in our enemies use all forms of media like the internet, TV, movies,......this is more of a propaganda war. They know if you see more soldiers dying or more talk of civil war your groans will grow louder. So they kill more people! Not one of you would be able to show me how our enemies do not use antiwar sentiment. The facts aren't in your favor. The simple fact is the antiwar movement here in America DOES keep the war going AND causes it to be more intense. I don't care if we win or lose. The only thing I care about is the lives of those on the battle field. So next time you want to go on some antiwar rant or support those who do remember whose live you may be jeopardizing.

I also realize we MUST have freedom of speech. This must be held with the utmost importance. Having said that I think you antiwar people could voice your opinion in a way that does not undermine or endanger our troops.

Answer 1

I think it's quite possible that insurgent groups encourage themselves to continue fighting in the hope that anti-war sentiment in the US will work in their favor.

I think there is no acceptable solution for quelling the anti-war viewpoint; this is one of the risks the government accepts when it takes unpopular action, that enough of the populace will disagree loudly enough to interfere with their aims and goals.

If the entire US were to be completely united and vehemently vocal in support of our actions in Iraq, I think it's possible that the outcome would surpass the most rigid conservative's favorite wet dream. But it ain't gonna happen.

Answer 2

no it's not about winning or losing. winning or losing doesn't alter the wrongness of a situation. there no way the U.S. could have ever won vietnam... they were fighting a popular massed insurgency in south vietnam. a fact the government was trying to hide from it's citizens.

frankly it seemed to work doubly well on you since there is historical consensus that the tet offensive was conducted by the NLF (viet cong) and not just the north vietnamese army.

furthermore i say if the u.s. govt and the military hadn't been lying about what was going on the Tet Offensive wouldn't have been a big deal. it wouldn't have blown any convenient illusions.

mission accomplished.

Answer 3

In my opinion, when the enemy knows that the United States is divided and no longer has the resolve to win and one party in particular has so obviously accepted a policy of defeat (and publicly told the enemy that the United States has lost the war) it will surely give the enemy the will to continue fighting - even in the face of defeat after defeat, the enemy knows that if they can continue to inflict casualties and just hang on long enough, the United States will pull out and they will achieve victory by default.
The lessons learned from our early exit out of Viet Nam is not lost on our present enemies.
If the enemy thought for one moment that defeat was absolutely not an option for America, they would fold like a house of cards. It has become, I'm afraid, another war being fought in the political arena on Capital Hill - instead of on the battle fields in Iraq - and the enemy knows this.

Answer 4

I think that you are forgetting that the fact that we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq....just that fact alone..... has galvanized our enemy!

We come at this fight as a 'culture' and society of people who are not solidified in any other way other than the fact that we are Americans!

These cultures and people that we battle have been battling since they began!!

Those people under no circumstances want American or western civilization meddling financially or in any other respect in their country!!!!

This quote you cited from the Vietnamese Colonel was/is political spin and propaganda!
The Americans don't have political spin and propaganda sewn up!
If anything we have taught our opponents well in this tool!

Regardless of whatever anti-war people say or do it is ridiculous to say that they unify and galvanize the enemy anymore than the fact that they were already in that state just becuase we chose to invade their lands!

We have chose to pick a fight with an ancient people who don't want the U.S. or any other country dictating or having any say in what they are or how they conduct their society/finances/natural resources/religion or anything else!

Perhaps....

You should consider what's at stake for them if they lose.
When or if the U.S. wins this battle what is the outcome.
U.S. bases in every country in the Middle East!

That was the turning point for Osama.
When the U.S. built a military base in Saudi Arabia.
"To the victors go the spoils".

If Saudi Arabia and Iran and Pakistan and Syria and India and any other Mid Eastern country wanted to build military bases in the U.S. would our people stand for that?

Hell NO!!

Our enemy in this case is an ideology not any one country or military!
Bush incorrectly thinks he can make these Nations bend to his will through attrition.
Not likely.
They stand to lose there complete existance. Whether we think how they live is right or wrong they are fighting for an existance free from U.S. influence or control!

Truth of the matter is these people have learned to exist in the most simplistic manner possible if they have to!
Example...living in caves-living in sand-living in a manner most U.S. people consider third world and most Americans think roughing it is living without electricity and running water!

Hell some couldn't live without a cell phone or blackberry or credit card!!!

Basically what I am trying to say is your arguement that anti-war protesters have all that much influence over our enemy is something that inconsequential!

The fight isn't against the people of the U.S. ...it's against the U.S. Industrialized Military Complex that is bought and paid for by big business that exists to globalize the world's economy!!

IMHO!

Just for clarification sake.

I LOVE the U.S.!!!

I am a Patriotic American!

I want and hope my country's leaders wake up and realize that we don't have to succeed and prosper by subverting the rest of the world!

Answer 5

No. The right to dissent is what this country is all about.

And when a war is unjustified--and self-serving politicians and unpatriotic extrimists are sending our soldiers into harm's way fr no good reason--you will see decent Americans protesting.

And that does not hurt the troops. And nothing the demagogues who perpetrate such injustice canevery do or say will stop decent citizens from forcing the truth into the open.

THAT is America. Love it or leave it.

Answer 6

Have you ever been to a peace rally? Have you ever met/talked with any Iraqi Veteran of War who is now against the the Iraq war? I have met and talked with many and in my experience supporting the troops while not supporting their mission is not a difficult thing to do. We support our troops and the institution. We do not support their mission.

Our Chickenhawk-in-Chief has done enough to hurt our troops on the battlefield by not sending in the right numbers to finish the job and not having a plan for success. Moreover, taking from the Iraqis (think no-bid contracts) does more to hurt our image of "showing the M.E. what democracy is" than any Anti-War protest ever could. Actions speak louder than words.

Answer 7

there is no logical, on topic arguement to the contrary. there is no mechinism by which an anti war movement can have any other effect. the effect may be large or small but there can be no other effect.

Answer 8

no for Vietnam as clearly stated by this administration can not be compared to Iraq, it is not hurting due to the way we ourselves would be if invaded we would fight to the last person of course unless we were here illegally and we would not owe anything to the country we would just do as we did in our country and leave this one

Answer 9

the truth is complete victory was never obtainable.anti war movement or not.now let us talk of hells fire....does starting a lie ,to promote war ,mean hell.for the leaders of such?.cheers

Answer 10

Yes, absolutely. In more ways then one. I especially loved how you backed up all your statements with facts and how you obviously have researched this subject. Keep it up!