“It 's a proud day for America. And, by God, we 've kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all.” So said President George H. W. Bush on the first day of March of 1991 after victory in the Persian Gulf War. Forming the largest military alliance since World War II, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and thirty-two other countries joined the Coalition in response to the invasion and annexation of Kuwait by Iraqi forces. In about half a year, the Coalition forces, led by the U.S., were successful in driving out the Iraqi military from Kuwait, resulting in a decisive Coalition victory, restoration of the Kuwaiti government, and strict sanctions against Iraq. On this “proud day” for America, Bush remembers, ironically, the Vietnam War and how
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This, along with the escalation of the Cold War, proves to be vital in triggering the commitment of U.S. combat forces in 1965. In order to fully comprehend the complex causes of the Vietnam War, one must go beyond the war itself and inspect Vietnamese history and people. During World War II, Japan invaded and occupied Vietnam, a nation that had been under French administration since the late 1800s, after several epochs of Chinese imperialism. After Japanese surrender in August of 1945, Ho Chi Minh and his followers, called Vietminh, were able to easily fill in and take control of the country. But unlike the British and the Dutch, who reluctantly granted independence to their colonies, liberated France sought to recolonize Vietnam, sparking a war that marked the beginning of a new era of conflict in this Southeast Asian country. Because the revolutionary movement in Vietnam was led by communists, the United States came to view the nation as only instruments of the Soviet Union. This caused the U.S. to support French recolonization and Ngo Dinh Diem, whom the United States would use to attempt to build a new South Vietnamese nation after French
This, along with the escalation of the Cold War, proves to be vital in triggering the commitment of U.S. combat forces in 1965. In order to fully comprehend the complex causes of the Vietnam War, one must go beyond the war itself and inspect Vietnamese history and people. During World War II, Japan invaded and occupied Vietnam, a nation that had been under French administration since the late 1800s, after several epochs of Chinese imperialism. After Japanese surrender in August of 1945, Ho Chi Minh and his followers, called Vietminh, were able to easily fill in and take control of the country. But unlike the British and the Dutch, who reluctantly granted independence to their colonies, liberated France sought to recolonize Vietnam, sparking a war that marked the beginning of a new era of conflict in this Southeast Asian country. Because the revolutionary movement in Vietnam was led by communists, the United States came to view the nation as only instruments of the Soviet Union. This caused the U.S. to support French recolonization and Ngo Dinh Diem, whom the United States would use to attempt to build a new South Vietnamese nation after French