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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   12392 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of February 3, 2025

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America did not, technically, have a military defeat in Vietnam. America withdrew leaving south Vietnam to its own defense, which it proved incapable of(although it held on for three years, unlike the afghan government’s three months).

I guess America also didn't lose in Afghanistan technically. But as we all know, the art of war isn't that of winning battles, but that of making your enemy do what you want him to.

Dukat has a different take

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YDpxuWj2A7o

Dukat had moments of great insight, but Garak's assessment that Dukat was shortsighted was repeatedly proven correct.

Sure, the political goal of ‘stop the spread of communism but don’t roll it back’ was dumb, and poorly implemented because of factors in south Vietnam. But the limited goal of ‘achieve a south Vietnam that can defend its sovereignty with no U.S. boots on the ground’ was achieved. The withdrawal of US air support- and political factors in the south Vietnamese army- led to the ‘75 invasion succeeding where previous ones had failed.

The U.S. goal of ‘capitalist, essentially secular, American aligned dictatorship in south Vietnam which doesn’t require American army presence’ was a success. The decision not to provide air support following a leadership reshuffle in their army led to them getting overrun by north Vietnamese tanks. To be clear this goal wasn’t a stable equilibrium- south Vietnamese security would have required a comprehensive defeat of the north. But this wasn’t an afghan government, where it can’t hold together for three months without the marines propping it up.

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