European views on American involvement in the Vietnam war.

[Eddie Teach]

We needed a SURGE. 

[Valmy]

Then why don't they complain about Allied involvement in WWII?  You have conscripts and firebombing there as well.

Heh.  People do complain about that.  The same sort of stuff though: firebombing cities and using the Atomic Bomb.  We are big meanies when we fight wars.

[CountDeMoney]

We are big meanies when we fight wars.

Stop apologizing for America.

[mongers]

Noble ?

Seems a daft descriptor for an ill thought out, open-end commitment to a corrupt failing state, that cost a treasury's worth of imperial gold.

Oh and it gave the US's two principle rivals at the time the opportunity to slowly bleed the US and divide the country domestically, to little cost to themselves.


Wasn't there an old adage about not engaging in land wars on the Asian mainland ?

I wonder if in a few years Iraq will also be described as a 'Noble' war ?

[CountDeMoney]

I wonder if in a few years Iraq will also be described as a 'Noble' war ?

It was described that way at the outset, man.  DEMOCRACY FOR SHIAS

[Valmy]

Noble ?

We were trying to save a people from the horrors of Communism.

[derspiess]

Noble ?

Seems a daft descriptor for an ill thought out, open-end commitment to a corrupt failing state, that cost a treasury's worth of imperial gold.

Yes.  Where would you live?  An imperfect, corrupt western-friendly state where you at least have some freedoms or an oppressive communist reg... oh wait, don't answer that.

[CountDeMoney]

Yes.  Where would you live?  An imperfect, corrupt western-friendly state where you at least have some freedoms or an oppressive communist reg... oh wait, don't answer that.

I think that sorta depended on whether you were Catholic Vietnamese or not.

[Jacob]

I expect that about 95% of Europeans' ideas about the Vietnam war is based on American popular media - all the films, the music, the counter culture, and even the impact on American politics. All that may be filtered through 5% worth of local prejudice, but mostly it's just regurgitation of American introspection; no one cares about the Vietnam war.

I haven't seen the picture Raz talked about in the OP, but is there anything to indicate that it reflects European views of the Vietnam war?

[Razgovory]

Yes.  Where would you live?  An imperfect, corrupt western-friendly state where you at least have some freedoms or an oppressive communist reg... oh wait, don't answer that.

I think that sorta depended on whether you were Catholic Vietnamese or not.

Or if you wanted to be reeducated or not.

[Razgovory]

Noble ?

Seems a daft descriptor for an ill thought out, open-end commitment to a corrupt failing state, that cost a treasury's worth of imperial gold.

Oh and it gave the US's two principle rivals at the time the opportunity to slowly bleed the US and divide the country domestically, to little cost to themselves.


Wasn't there an old adage about not engaging in land wars on the Asian mainland ?

I wonder if in a few years Iraq will also be described as a 'Noble' war ?

It was a corrupt state that was failing because it was being invaded by another state.

[Razgovory]

I believe there were major protests in Europe at the time, so people obviously had an opinion of it.  There was also the Russell Tribunal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Tribunal and Bertrand Russell and Jean-Paul Sartre were rather important intellectuals in Europe at the time.

[Ed Anger]

Europeans. 

[Valmy]

I believe there were major protests in Europe at the time, so people obviously had an opinion of it.  There was also the Russell Tribunal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Tribunal and Bertrand Russell and Jean-Paul Sartre were rather important intellectuals in Europe at the time.

The Euros here have been answering the question about what they think about it now and already said that the usual leftist suspects at the time were opposed.  So I am not sure what this stunning relevation is supposed to prove.

[Berkut]

I think the point here is that someone was comparing US involvement in Vietnam to Auschwitz.

No matter what your view on Vietnam, I am not sure how you could actually compare those two as being of a kind that makes any comparison valid in any way at all.