The Legacy of the War
Although US forces were withdrawn from Vietnam in 1973 and with a successful cease fire it appeared the war had ended, though this was false. Ford Realized this and called for aid to the South Vietnamese. Though only receiving $700 million, much less than Nixon had envisioned. Though this halted the renewed front by the North Vietnamese Forces, once again they attacked again in early 1975, once again with Ford pleading for renewed military aid to the area, with Congress merely sending financial aid. This is considered one of the earliest effects of the Vietnam Syndrome, with a nation reeling with the still too clear Watergate scandal and the current reorganization of the CIA by Ford due to criticism from the Church Committee (Miller Center 5). The question was still resonating in the ears of the American people, "Was the war necessary, as many now allege, to stop the advance of communism and uphold our world position..." (Herring 5). It is one of the many what ifs of History, what if the United States had not intervened in Vietnam, would the Dominoes have fallen if not? Though Americans were not willing to rehash the question the wounds were too fresh, and Congress was not willing to place salt on the wounds with further intervention. this is also seen similarly in the Angola front. Synonymous to the Vietnam idea, here with the Church Committee drew harsh criticize on the CIA causing the resignation of William Colby in late 1975. Intense sparring between Congress and Ford ensued over the Angola intervention idea (Miller Center 5); thus showing that the still fragile nation was not fully ready to take on external politics with a blank check as done with Johnson. But the only success from the Vietnam Era of the Ford Administration was the recapture of the Mayaguez from Khmer Rouge Operatives who seized the vessel, for once the nation backed Ford in an expenditure against Communism, as a direct threat to the United States (Miller Center 5).
Similarly Ford was met with success coupled with multiple stalls to the détente. Though not only did foreign hurdles thwart Ford's plans for a successfully détente with the Russians, the plan also faced internal faults.
"Restive conservatives in both the Democratic and Republican parties—and sometimes members of Ford's own cabinet, such as Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger—continuously attacked détente. These critics, who included California's Republican governor Ronald Reagan, believed that Nixon, Ford, and Kissinger had underestimated the Soviet threat and had proven too willing to deal with the Soviets rather than confront them from a position of strength. Moreover, they charged that détente was a morally bankrupt policy; the Soviet Union, according to this view, was a state with evil and illegitimate goals, one that the United States should criticize rather than accommodate. In sum, détente, according to this view, was both a moral and strategic failure"(Miller Center 5).
For example the leftover SLAT II Treaty, know first as the Vladivostok Accords,to follow the Nixon Kissinger day talks with the Russians. Though Ford made progress disputes over the Us ballistic missile ranges and the Russian Bomber ranges caused the talks to fail. Similarly some external events such as the Yon Kipper War which caused all major powers to funnel vast resources into their allies, much like the early stages of Vietnam. Though some progress was made towards the détente with the Helsinki Accords, though not much else was accomplished (Miller Center 5). Though the importance of the Ford administration it the fracturing of the policies to deal with Communism, Reagan begins to lead the Conservatism towards the policy of "Peace through Strength" policy and Carter's morals policy.
The Carter Administration and Policy of Morals
The Carter Administration is filled with many contradictions. Though Carter pushed for Human Rights for all and the reintroduction of morals through foreign policy, at some points it appears that the human rights for Americans were violated, thus as a result of the Vietnam Syndrome. Though Carter did mad enormous strides in the area of Human Rights as well as peaceful accords, the policies under the Administration isolated as well as appearing weak to the world. The Panamanian talks in where the rights to the Panama canal which was to be ceded back to the Panamanians by 1999, although three fourths of Americans disproved, in a poll. Similarly with the human rights campaign, although filled with good intentions, alienated the US from other allied powers such as South Korea, while the Carter Administration let violations pressed upon the Soviet Union slip into the background when the Soviets threatened to leave arms talks. Though Carter did not have much success in the field with the Russians either while although agreeing to "abide" by the terms of the official SALT II treaty, although never ratified, the administration's image was harmed when Carter called for US athletes to boycott the 1980 summer Olympics, which they did not These in culmination with the disastrous Iranian Hostage Situation sealed the casket for Carter's morally just policies (Miller Center, Carter 5).
|
Carter Administration Accomplishments
|
Carter Administration Failures
|
How does this connect to the Vietnam Syndrome
Exhibited is Carter's hesitation, specifically with the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Carter's Inability to act furthered the problem to a point of no return. Also the continued fracturing of US foreign policy and the alignment of the new right under Reagan is visible where criticism for the human rights policies advanced by Carter, specifically under Jeanne Kirkpatrick. Further it appears that the United States has lost the edge that it had one had, giving special treatment to the Soviets, not being able to protect American Citizens and failing to retrieve them, and willing to give up on American propserity i.e. the Panama Canal Agreement. These are all factor that will be meet with the Reagan Administration
The Reagan Administration
Reagan approached politics with the idea of "Peace through Strength". Reagan regarded the Soviet Union as an "evil empire," and the Soviets as, "the focus of evil in the modern world" (Miller Center Reagan 5). Reagan began the rearmament of the US military Reagan knew that the Soviets respected the stance of Strength, this is key to why he does not believe in détente because as Americans the power is being given away to the Soviets, and the belief that the Soviets were not as strong as the State Department and CIA perceived the Soviets to be. Eventually Reagan's hard line policies paid off and the United States and the Soviet Union had finally come to the first nuclear reduction treaties, first starting out with the START or Strategic Arms Reduction Talks. Though not was all peachy in the first years of the Reagan Administration with the deployment of Russian SS-20 missiles across Eastern Europe. This caused great tension with the staunch Anti-Communist Reagan. Reagan countered with the idea of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) or "Star Wars" which frightened the Soviets. Reagan further countered the Soviets in 1985 with the Reagan Doctrine introduction at the State of Union Address which called for the, "support for freedome fighters in self defence" spanning, "from Afghanistan to Nicaragua" (Miller Center Reagan). The climax occurs when Reagan, at the Brandenburg Gate challanges, "Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Reagan did not just take on Communism on the Soviet front, the administration supported any faction against Communism. This is shown through the Iran-Contra Affair because Reagan knowing that Vietnam was still fresh on the minds of Americans employed the CIA to secretly aid in giving the Contra rebels of Nicaragua. Which Congress stopped with the Boland Amendment. The "Shadow Government" made a comeback when Oliver North and others were caught selling weapons to the Iranians to provoke a war with Iraq [A terrorist nation considered by Reagan, who took a tough stance on terrorism which cost the lives of hundreds of Americans, specifically 214 Marines stationed in Beirut] and the "shadow government", the government running under the authority of the executive branch without consulting Congress, was caught selling weapons.But in addition to the Iran-Contra Affair aid was also sent by Reagan to Angola and Afghanistan, but not limited to(PBS Reagan 1).
|
" Peace must be such that freedom can flourish and justice prevail. Tens of thousands of boat people have shown us there is no freedom in the so-called peace in Vietnam. The hill people of Laos know poison gas, not justice, and in Cambodia there is only the peace of the grave for at least one-third of the population slaughtered by the Communists. Reagan and Vietnam SyndromeReagan began the United States to end the Vietnam Syndrome and reassert itself as a world power and took away the power from the Russian forces with the ending of the system of détente and the reclaiming of US power and control. Though through the Administration some of the unrestricted Presidential power fears were reaffirmed with the President's own, "shadow government". Thus showing no matter how much Reagan proclaimed, the Vietnam Syndrome was not over. Though, "Doctor Reagan and his associates seem determined to cure the disease"(Herring 1).
|