How would the world be different today if the US had stayed out of the Vietnam War?
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@futurebird This should *not* be the only book you read, but this tells part of the story. (And yes, this is Max Boot, but he does a pretty good job with military history.)
Tagging @PhoenixSerenity who is far more knowledgeable.
@dnkboston
I have learned more from talking to my elders (on both sides of our family) than from any books. They all lived through many years of US foreign occupation. We all have lifelong PTSD from the invaders indiscriminately killing our family & friends. -
I you are horrified that I'm a dumb American who doesn't know history I want to warn you that I'm considered a wonky history nerd in most circles (totally unearned) and most people in the US know much much much less than I do.
Anyway. Time to learn again.
I read a lot about the Vietnam war in the 1980s. One book, that must be out of print, described how Nixon and Kissinger directed bombing of Cambodia, without Congressional approval. This lead to the rise of Pol Pot, and the death of 1/2 of the Cambodians.
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Yeah, I hated history class because it made no damn sense. Learning as an adult I now find it really interesting. Because the events of the past do make sense, it's just US history as taught in school leaves so much out, contains so many white lies that it's hard to even follow.
@futurebird @roknrol "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James Loewen describes how and why US High School history education is so wrong.
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@vikxin @futurebird @roknrol ...OH. Wow. Gosh. That's like how English schools used to teach the Irish famine.
@Ailbhe @vikxin @futurebird @roknrol
I learnt significantly more about the Irish famine on one trip around a museum in Dublin than I learnt in school. It was never mentioned to me in school.
See also the British in India, the British in... etc, etc, etc
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What does a typical US high school education teach about this war?
"The US went to Vietnam to save people from Communism, but it got messy and maybe it wasn't worth it."
That's about it. This must be... not even close to the whole story.
A lot of people including a significant chunk of American soldiers died in this war. When it started the US public supported it. By the time it ended most people didn't, though feelings are "complex."
@futurebird i dont remember /anything/ from the school unit on nam EXCEPT:
- being shown an uncensored video of a public execution where blood gushed from a headwound into the street with each pump of the dying heart
- this video record and presence of journalists not censoring what they see was a major factor in why the usa public turned against the war. reality of it came thru their screens every night
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@dnkboston
I have learned more from talking to my elders (on both sides of our family) than from any books. They all lived through many years of US foreign occupation. We all have lifelong PTSD from the invaders indiscriminately killing our family & friends.@PhoenixSerenity Do you know of any authors who have gotten it right? Or at least not as wrong as many? @futurebird
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Learning about the Cuban Missile crisis was much easier. This one is proving harder to understand. But it's also a bigger event.
@futurebird
I learned about the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Zippo Raids, and Charlie's tactics. -
@PhoenixSerenity Do you know of any authors who have gotten it right? Or at least not as wrong as many? @futurebird
@dnkboston
The Sorrow of War by Bảo Ninh - the author was one of only 10 survivors from a 500 members unit with resistance army.Last Night I Dreamed of Peace by Dang Thuy Tram - this is the actual diary of a North Vietnamese doctor. Dang Thuy Tram, was killed at age 27.
When Heaven and Earth Changed Places by Le Ly Hayslip - This is a memoir. Le Ly grew up in a village near Da Nang & she was suspected by both Viet Cong & South Vietnamese/US. Both sides tortured her in their prisons.
A Vietcong Memoir: An Inside Account of the Vietnam War and Its Aftermath by Truong Nhu Tang - This book helps folks to understand the disillusionment, post war. Truong Nhu was a founder of the NLF & was Minister of Justice in the Provisional Revolutionary Government.
The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse by Vinh Nguyen. This is a poignant tour of disappeared refugee camps, abandoned family homes & reimagined lives from one survivor's family experience.
Surviving The Vietnam War & It's Aftermath - shares the perspectives of two Vietnamese war correspondents.
https://survivingvietnam.com/ -
@dnkboston
The Sorrow of War by Bảo Ninh - the author was one of only 10 survivors from a 500 members unit with resistance army.Last Night I Dreamed of Peace by Dang Thuy Tram - this is the actual diary of a North Vietnamese doctor. Dang Thuy Tram, was killed at age 27.
When Heaven and Earth Changed Places by Le Ly Hayslip - This is a memoir. Le Ly grew up in a village near Da Nang & she was suspected by both Viet Cong & South Vietnamese/US. Both sides tortured her in their prisons.
A Vietcong Memoir: An Inside Account of the Vietnam War and Its Aftermath by Truong Nhu Tang - This book helps folks to understand the disillusionment, post war. Truong Nhu was a founder of the NLF & was Minister of Justice in the Provisional Revolutionary Government.
The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse by Vinh Nguyen. This is a poignant tour of disappeared refugee camps, abandoned family homes & reimagined lives from one survivor's family experience.
Surviving The Vietnam War & It's Aftermath - shares the perspectives of two Vietnamese war correspondents.
https://survivingvietnam.com/@PhoenixSerenity Oh wow. Thank you so much. I've bookmarked this post, and I'm going to create a reading list on my library website.
I really appreciate this; I know it's not easy to talk about 🫂
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@PhoenixSerenity Oh wow. Thank you so much. I've bookmarked this post, and I'm going to create a reading list on my library website.
I really appreciate this; I know it's not easy to talk about 🫂
@dnkboston
You're welcome. I hope you are able to read these books to gain more understanding of perspectives from Vietnamese survivors.
It's difficult to discuss because it always draws up the war/leaving our homelands traumas but it's important to talk about, to help more people understand what we lived through. I talk about our family's experiences when I have enough spoons to share some of those stories. -
@dnkboston
You're welcome. I hope you are able to read these books to gain more understanding of perspectives from Vietnamese survivors.
It's difficult to discuss because it always draws up the war/leaving our homelands traumas but it's important to talk about, to help more people understand what we lived through. I talk about our family's experiences when I have enough spoons to share some of those stories. -
"But, Mr. Block why would the the USSR put nuclear missiles in Cuba? They had to know the US would be frightened and angry about that?"
"Well they just wanted the whole world to be communist. They really thought communism would work. We don't have time to dwell on this there are six more units we need to complete before the AP* exam."
*AP stands for "Advanced Placement" I was in a 'advanced' history course and I earned an A! My head is empty nonetheless.
Even AP classes had a requirement to teach the accepted curricula (propaganda). Teachers in CA had to swear an oath they were not commies. So, probably self-selecting for being non-critical about state propaganda. Even open minded teachers I knew shied away from criticizing parts of the curricula.
FYI, the Vietnamese refer to that war as "the American War". There are probably history books written by Vietnamese authors in English that cover that perspective.
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Even AP classes had a requirement to teach the accepted curricula (propaganda). Teachers in CA had to swear an oath they were not commies. So, probably self-selecting for being non-critical about state propaganda. Even open minded teachers I knew shied away from criticizing parts of the curricula.
FYI, the Vietnamese refer to that war as "the American War". There are probably history books written by Vietnamese authors in English that cover that perspective.
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There are some elements of the Vietnam war that blended into other conflicts and actions by the US govt.
SOG was a group of "special forces" whose job was to "repatriate" US soldiers behind enemy lines. This is govspeak for a team of assassins hunting down and murdering US deserters living on the communist side of the line.
The elements tied to SOG may have also been involved in moving money, guns and drugs via Air America. This model will show up again and again.
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There are some elements of the Vietnam war that blended into other conflicts and actions by the US govt.
SOG was a group of "special forces" whose job was to "repatriate" US soldiers behind enemy lines. This is govspeak for a team of assassins hunting down and murdering US deserters living on the communist side of the line.
The elements tied to SOG may have also been involved in moving money, guns and drugs via Air America. This model will show up again and again.
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People previously assigned to SOG ended up overseeing Central American operations in Hondauras in the 80s. Again, you will see the same game played out with money, drugs, guns and airlines in Central America as well. The new airline name was Southern Air Transport.
Players involved in both become a handful of people, and identification isn't hard, they are in the historical record.
Also, what started in Vietnam is now becoming a model (later declassified by Clinton).
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People previously assigned to SOG ended up overseeing Central American operations in Hondauras in the 80s. Again, you will see the same game played out with money, drugs, guns and airlines in Central America as well. The new airline name was Southern Air Transport.
Players involved in both become a handful of people, and identification isn't hard, they are in the historical record.
Also, what started in Vietnam is now becoming a model (later declassified by Clinton).
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If you notice, there is a pattern of which drug is prosecuted more fervently internal to the US during these conflicts. Heroin during the Vietnam war, and crack cocaine during the Latin American conflicts. This is Congressional record.
I've spoken with former Coast Guard officers who were specifically enjoined to avoid inspecting certain boats. The one who did also recorded one of the largest cocaine busts by the Coast Guard at that time.
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If you notice, there is a pattern of which drug is prosecuted more fervently internal to the US during these conflicts. Heroin during the Vietnam war, and crack cocaine during the Latin American conflicts. This is Congressional record.
I've spoken with former Coast Guard officers who were specifically enjoined to avoid inspecting certain boats. The one who did also recorded one of the largest cocaine busts by the Coast Guard at that time.
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Back to projects and programs, the US has also tied creation of airstrips in target conflict nations with humanitarian efforts. Programs that build roads (often wide short roads in the middle of nowhere) and orphanages (and other buildings in the middle of nowhere), along with agricultural programs (which can be flipped to show farmers how to grow increased drug crop yields) are part of nearly every conflict where drugs, guns, money and planes are involved.
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Back to projects and programs, the US has also tied creation of airstrips in target conflict nations with humanitarian efforts. Programs that build roads (often wide short roads in the middle of nowhere) and orphanages (and other buildings in the middle of nowhere), along with agricultural programs (which can be flipped to show farmers how to grow increased drug crop yields) are part of nearly every conflict where drugs, guns, money and planes are involved.
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The airline that was SAT became rebranded later on and was used under another administration for "extraordinary rendition". The model for managing all of this that was declassed under Clinton became "fusion centers" in the US and abroad. The new "worst drug ever" became opioids and allies of the US in Afghanistan and the Middle East forced farmers to grow poppies.
The usual public works projects crept up in the Middle East. But let's talk about regional destabilization.
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The airline that was SAT became rebranded later on and was used under another administration for "extraordinary rendition". The model for managing all of this that was declassed under Clinton became "fusion centers" in the US and abroad. The new "worst drug ever" became opioids and allies of the US in Afghanistan and the Middle East forced farmers to grow poppies.
The usual public works projects crept up in the Middle East. But let's talk about regional destabilization.
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Regional destabilization was coined by Ronald Reagan in a press conference in the 80s. It described a policy in which the US funds the Contras to oppose communism by sponsoring activities that force neighboring states into conflict against one another.
This may not seem related to Vietnam, but the whole process that became a policy of regional destabilization was kicked off by groups like SOG operating across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Patterns in Vietnam repeat.
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Regional destabilization was coined by Ronald Reagan in a press conference in the 80s. It described a policy in which the US funds the Contras to oppose communism by sponsoring activities that force neighboring states into conflict against one another.
This may not seem related to Vietnam, but the whole process that became a policy of regional destabilization was kicked off by groups like SOG operating across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Patterns in Vietnam repeat.
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Regional destabilization had lost the name, but the policy was developed starting in Vietnam, codified in Central America, and weaponized in the 1st Gulf War.
Once a developmental pattern can be described, it is easy to see how the US was going to proceed in the Gulf Wars, Afghanistan, and even the Persian Gulf today.
Just one element from the Vietnam war that became everything in 🧵.
Teachers with a set history curricula and a loyalty oath are not going to address this.
7/🧵
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How would the world be different today if the US had stayed out of the Vietnam War?
I know very little about this war and wouldn't mind maybe reading a book about it. But I don't know where to start. I'd love something that added context without pushing a political agenda. So I don't want an anti-communist book, or really even an explicitly ani-capitalist one. I'd like to think I could understand the power vectors and their impact on ordinary people. This is hard to do!
@futurebird for more of a "human impact" side of the Vietnam War:
"The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien had a huge influence on me as a writer. I studied it in 11th grade English and again for my degree. He's written some other stuff but that's his most famous one.
"Achilles in Vietnam" and "Odysseus in America" by Jonathan Shay, a VA psychiatrist who works almost exclusively with Vietnam vets. These address political and bureaucratic factors besides combat
