The Vietnam War Analysis

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Philosophy ISU

Philosophy sets the moral framework that guides administrative powers through both foreign and domestic decision making. It is argued that philosophy promotes a positive message through its subsidiary focus, ethics, but in fact philosophy gives society the opportunity to grasp what is just and unjust and through this understanding allows for a grey area that may be interpreted from person to person. Philosophy serves a negative role in society as it allows societal figures to justify horrific acts, through the use of the grey area found within the ethical framework of humanity. Both the Vietnam War that took place from 1950-1975, and the September 11, 2001 attacks will be examined through a philosophical lens to conclude philosophy’s
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It began with the American belief that they (the American government), as a world power, should do what they can to prevent the spread of communism. The question as to whether US intervention should be allowed has endured until today. The US fear of communism spreading throughout the eastern world became a reality when the Ho Chi Minh government came into power. President Eisenhower promoted US aid in Vietnam citing the ‘Domino Theory’ as central motivation to send troops. The theory was that once Asia would fall to communism there would be a domino like effect that would negatively impact US trade with the eastern world. Prior to Eisenhower’s election he stated both freedom and communism to be like a sinking ship. Freedom is sought to be “a creature of God, blessed with a free and individual destiny governed by eternal moral and natural laws” while communism is looked at as a society that enslaves its citizens to the state (Time.com, 1952). Within Eisenhower’s speech he claims concern with the cultures and countries under communist rule, such as Vietnam. Essentially the United States released a statement addressing their concern for the Vietnamese people. There are two questions that are asked when the Vietnam War comes into conversation. One, what were the United States true intentions behind the invasion into Vietnam? Was is truly motivated by the concern for a communist party oppressing the Vietnamese people, or was it motivated by the economic impact a communist party would have on the United States’ trade over seas, from agriculture to textile. The second question asked is, were the actions of the American people justified within Vietnam? The ethical framework behind the United States’ decision to invade Vietnam was that they could establish a democratic rule while at the same time complete the underlying task of stabilizing the American economy. This is

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