Why US can't defend the southern Vietnam?
Is it politic or military mistake?
2007-07-04 05:34:11 · 6 answers · asked by Ali Baba 4 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Actually the U.S. did defend 'South' Vietnam from a complete takeover while there were U.S. troops there. Once many people became convinced that the war would take many more years and would cost thousands of more lives they acted to see their government change its policy. Yes, the U.S. made political and military mistakes in Vietnam, and once the people became aware of these mistakes the direction of the war changed at many levels. The most obvious mistake the U.S. made was that they underestimated their opponent - the Vietnamese.
2007-07-04 05:44:06 · answer #1 · answered by WMD 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is a book called "A Different War" in which it is maintained that after the Tet Offensive, the North Vietnamese Army was dealt a crushing blow, and the Vietcong essentially ceased to exist as a fighting force. The US policy of Vietnamazation was working when US forces withdrew. The US also violated terms of the cease-fire that ended the war, by not living up to its part of defense when the North Vietnamese violated that same cease-fire by re-assuming the offensive in 1975.
The Vietnam war was lost politically NOT militarily, which people still cannot seem to grasp. Indeed, this is one of the only Parallel to Iraq today. We are NOT being defeated on the ground there, we cannot be defeated on the ground, the casualty rates are not comparable, but we need a clear political goal, which we lacked in Vietnam.
The decision to exit Vietnam was a political one, militarily, we won. Which is why it took the North Vietnamese 2 years to re-assume an offensive, at a time and place in American politics when they felt we would not respond.
2007-07-04 14:40:45 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The US never had a clear idea on what it's policy or objective in Vietnam was, Therefore, it operated under a self imposed set of limitations that prevented us winning on any level. We set the bar way to high ever to win on a political level and would never accept the fact that the people were not on our side on a military level. Iraq is shacking out the same way.
2007-07-04 14:04:32 · answer #3 · answered by oldhippypaul 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We underestimated the effectiveness of assymentric and guerrila war-fare. Although we did defend south veitnam, the american people weren't prepared for this long drawn out war and ultimatley, got us pulled out.
2007-07-04 12:43:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It could and it did.
Politicians pulled us out.
2007-07-04 12:37:10 · answer #5 · answered by John T 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i don't know, but i like your name, Ali Baba was an Iraqi and I'm Iraqi so i like it.
2007-07-04 14:33:11 · answer #6 · answered by Sara 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋