How can the Vietnam War teach us abuot what we should do in Iraq?

Question

I need help on analyzing a political cartoon, and this is one of the main issues. Please help, because I am not too familiar about the Vietnam War(before my time)

Answer 1

It should teach us two things:
1. You can't liberate a country that did not ask to be liberated.
2. When you force liberation on a country, animosity builds within the ppl you are attempting to liberate.

You can't win.

Answer 2

The cartoon could mean many things, here are some ideas:

1. It teaches us that politicians do not always make the right choice about when to start a war and against who.
2. Maybe it could mean that politicians will continue fighting a war, even if they know it can't be won.
3. It may mean that politicians are out of touch with the people, that so many people are against it, but why are only so few supporting it.
4. Maybe it means that politicians and their families are not the ones fighting the war, and therefore politicians feel as if the war won't impact their families. There is only one congressman who has a family member who is in the armed services. We don't see any of the Bush daughters in Iraq, or Jeb Bush's son in Iraq.
5. Maybe it means the song "Fortunate Son" still applies, that with status, influence and wealth, a country and it's politicians can have other people fighting the wars.
6. Maybe it means that fighting wars in foreign countries never succeed. The British never were able to maintain control of Hong Kong, India. The Russians never were able to conquer Afghanistan.

Adolf's answer above are also some likely explanations.

Answer 3

The argument in the Vietnam war is that we needed a 10 to 1 ratio to successfully fight a guerrilla war, America's Vietnam tactics were to fight a conventional war. The goal of the Vietnamese was to keep inflicting heavy casualties on American forces, until the American people were not willing to sacrifice any more American life's and go home. The Americans had to win the war, While the Vietnames just needed to hold on. In Iraq we never had enough Troops on the ground to fight a guerrilla war, now all the Iraqi's have to do is in flick as many American dead that America will tire of the deaths and withdraw,The Iraqi's need not win the war they just need to hold on. We had learned nothing from the war in Vietnam, nothing!!

Answer 4

The lessons are :

1. We should not engage in a war that we will lose one way or the other.

2. We should not engage in a proxy war ( for Israel, S. Vietnam ).

3. We should not waste lives and US Tax payers moneys on lost causes.( !50,000 US causalities in Vietnam vs 35,000 in Iraq).

4. We should not rely on illiterate puppets to conduct the affair of a country (MALIKI vs Ngo Dinh Diem).

I hope these pointers may give you some idea.
Best of Luck.

Answer 5

Two totally different issues sorry to say Jane Fonda! Nothing like Vietnam, this is a war of terror like none your bones have ever felt see it now or die in a fog of denial silly!

Answer 6

We need to support our troops 100% and not embolden the enemy like the radical war protesters did during the Vietnam war. Also, we need to relax the rules of engagement for our troops. They are fighting with their hands tied right now. Get the politicians out of the war and give command solely to the generals.

Answer 7

We underestimate our enemies before and we are doing it again. Superior weapons can only win battles, not war. How do you fight an enemy when you can't see them, they mix in with the general population and only come out at night to snipe at us...get the hell out and let they fight among themselves. Let them kill one another, just supply the ammo to our puppet government.

Answer 8

Withdraw from Iraq in order to stop useless spending of taxpayers' money.

Answer 9

Don't start something you can't finish