Section 3
Week 5
The
fact that Vietnam marked a major shift in the public consciousness and trust in
US foreign policy has always been an interesting to me. I had not seriously
considered the parallels between Vietnam and Iraq before this article, "From Saigon to Baghdad" (Priest). The
shadow of distrust and disillusionment has followed US military involvement
from Vietnam to Iran-Contra to Iraq to Syria. This is a critical facet of US
foreign policy, as the US is now more accountable for justifying any foreign
military involvement. The US public adds another informal check on presidential
power, which is important, considering the US’s overwhelming military muscle.
Coming into a country to force a “correct” form of government, while it
obviously still happens, is under a much more widespread microscope and forces
Presidents to tread lightly on these issues--also mentioned by the article.
Unfortunately, the 9/11 attacks allowed a temporarily more lenient and
aggressive (if not outright racist) public attitude toward military action in
the Middle East as a whole. However, after a decade and a half of weariness
from war, has the pendulum swung all the way back in 2015?
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