Iraq War Vs Vietnam War Analysis

By the end of 2011, the last remaining U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq, signaling the end of an exhausting 8-year war. 36 years before that, the last U.S. troops abandoned Vietnam, marking the end of grueling 20-year war. Despite different beginnings, the causes for both wars’ failure have remarkable similarities. The U.S.’s overconfidence in their military superiority illustrated one important reason for the failures of the Iraq and Vietnam conflict. The American military had enormous advantage over its adversaries in Vietnam and Iraq in terms of technology, resources and manpower, yet failed to consider the guerrilla response. Both insurgencies frustrated the U.S. to the point of withdrawal. In Vietnam, President Lyndon Johnson ordered …show more content…
Despite the supposedly quick victory by American soldiers, the lack of post-war planning allowed the emergence of an Iraqi insurgency. Like Vietnam, civilian-like soldiers and “home-field advantage” proved to be an infuriating thorn on the American side. A U.S. sergeant’s comment summed up the situation: “I don’t know who I’m fighting most of the time.” The confusion of fighting a non-uniformed enemy while using technological superior weapons meant heavy consequences for even small mistakes. Thus, unarmed civilians were regularly caught in crossfires and misidentifications that killed women and children. American reputation around the world took a hit and the insurgents used that fact to their advantage. As a result, they hid military bases among civilian buildings and kidnapped Iraqi civilians who associated with Americans, forcing U.S. troops in moral dilemmas. Consequently, increasing U.S. losses coupled with numerous civilian deaths due to unadaptable military tactics contributed to the worsening public and international opinion that called for the removal of Americans from