ASA 2 Sec. 2
Week 5
In Andrew Priest's article on the effects of the Vietnam war on American foreign policy, "From Saigon to Baghdad," Priest expounds upon the impact of the "Vietnam Syndrome" on American politics and foreign relations. He explains this concept as how Americans garnered a disdain for the war and its motivations because of the stalemate that occurred and the fruitlessness of the war as a whole. A few main points arise in his explanation, beginning with the fact that the "Cold War consensus" had come to an end (the support for anti-Communism). He moves on to explain how Americans felt "malaise" toward government as a whole and that policy-makers made explicit efforts to avoid making past mistakes.
Priest's article provides very clear and valid arguments for how national policy was affected by the country's post-war feelings. I believe that in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, there was a turning point in society where many Americans started to question the ideals of their democratic society. I think it is very important that nobody takes for granted the values society imposes on us. The Asian American society has a responsibility, like all other groups of people, to remain impartial and vigilant to socially imposed ideas.
Question: What did Asian Americans during the immediate after-war period have to say about the war and the growing prevalence of the concept of the "Vietnam Syndrome"?
Image: A pictorial representation of research done on stages of PTSD, a psychological disorder that is widespread among Vietnam War veterans.
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