Comments on: Studying Vietnam Doesn’t Really Help

By: Quick Reax to Leaked Obama Afghan Plan | The League of Ordinary Gentlemen

Quick Reax to Leaked Obama Afghan Plan | The League of Ordinary Gentlemen — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:30:39 +0000

[...] Some news is out on what appears to be the Obama plan on Afghanistan. It’s obviously quite provisional at this point, but seems to line up with what I thought would be the basic outline. [...]

By: Bayesian

Bayesian — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:42:15 +0000

It might seem like a nit, but you really need to distinguish between the “Vietcong” (~NLF) and the PAVN in discussing the later stages (roughly post-Tet) of the war. My understanding of the literature is that the command structures were not unified at the operational level.

I remember reading COL Sorley’s book a few years ago, but I don’t remember it well enough to argue its points in detail – my recollection is that he didn’t address the deep state breakage caused by Diem’s exteme favoritism to Catholics.

I wouldn’t lean on Vietnam experience much either way re Afghanistan, although studying our higher level failures (e.g. the US’ collective overreaction to the Tet offensive) is probably a good idea, if difficult.

By: Slugger

Slugger — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:32:18 +0000

If the war would have been won, what would have been gained? How would a continued division of Vietnam into two countries have helped?
Would the Soviet Union have collapsed one day sooner?
Would the current reasonably cordial relationship with unified Vietnam have developed faster?
By losing in Vietnam, what did we lose?
I am told that we won in Iraq. What did we win?
What is there to win in Afghanistan?

By: Michael Drew

Michael Drew — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:38:45 +0000

As was clear from jump, then, Iraq was nothing if not a domestic political coup for the Republican party.