The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War

In order to define the basic background of the Vietnam War and how did the Vietnam War and its results influence the development of military organization, strategy, and technology. I have selected an article, will providing a critical response that will describe the basic theme of the question. In the selected text that is the subject of this discussion, i.e. “American Perspectives: Readings in American History”, the recollects the events that occurred during the Vietnam War and the consequences that America faced as a result. The article also explains how the Vietnam War helped to uncover major flaws in the American foreign policy. Moreover, it also highlights the devastating effects that the war had on the American government as well as the Vietnamese people.

According to the article, the author explains that the primary motivation of the American government to wage war on the Vietnamese people was to rid them of foreign domination. The growing influence of communism was seen as a major threat to American interests in the region and this is mainly what prompted the government to launch a full-scale military assault on the country. Therefore, Vietnam became the centerfield for America's crusade against the growing threat of communism.

The author also cites how increasing Soviet influence in their country was seen by a growing majority of Vietnamese as unwelcome since most of them were convinced that the presence of the foreigners was merely to exploit the people and plunder the riches of the planet. Therefore, there was growing resentment among the Vietnamese regarding the Soviets. This strong negative sentiment was fueled by decades of economic turmoil and crippling poverty both of which have left the country in shambles.

Recollecting the events of the Vietnam War, the author explains how Vietnam was divided into two portions, communist North Vietnam and non-communist South Vietnam, before the withdrawal of French troops from the country. However, the US-installed puppet regime under the rule of Ngo Dinh Diem proved to be a suicidal decision since he proved reckless and power-hungry. Consequently he was eliminated during a coup that was organized in the year 1963.

The author also explains how the event marked the arrival of the first US troops on Vietnamese land mainly for the purpose of supporting the South Vietnamese and providing them with critical advice. However, when Vietnamese resistance forces opened indiscriminate fire on American ships in international waters, it became clear that North Vietnam was hostile toward the Americans as well. The author iterates how this particular event was an important one in US history as it marked a major shift in American policy towards the North Vietnamese.

As a result, the United States increased its military presence in the region and its forces provided tactical support to the South Vietnamese army and were also involved in actively engaging and neutralizing hostile North Vietnamese forces. However, the military engagement in the Vietnamese territories came at a high cost as the number of causalities gradually rose to alarming ...