Internet Exercise 1

The Vietnam Syndrome and the Lessons of Vietnam

First read conservative newspaper columnist Cal Thomas's April 17, 1999, article entitled "The Vietnam Syndrome: Will Clinton Heed the Instruction of History?":

http://www.worldmag.com/world/issue/04-17-99/national_4.asp

Then read Michael Barone's April 12, 1999, U.S. News and World Report article entitled "Wars and Remembrance":

http://www.newslibrary.com/nlsearch.asp?region=UW&s_hidethis=yes&DBQUERY=19990412000713


1		According to Cal Thomas, how did President William Clinton's decision to bomb Serbia parallel the decision-making process that led to America's embroilment in South Vietnam?



2		Do you agree with the implication in Thomas's article that the deployment of U.S. troops to Kosovo would likely result in a quagmire akin to Vietnam? Why or why not?



3		In Michael Barone's view, how was Clinton's decision to bomb Serbia analogous to Lyndon Johnson's late-1964 and early-1965 decisions to bomb North Vietnam and to deploy troops to South Vietnam?



4		Was Michael Barone correct in asserting that airpower would prove as ineffective at coercing Serbia as it had in forcing Hanoi to agree to a favorable settlement during the Vietnam War?



5		What ultimately happened in Kosovo? Did events there parallel what happened in South Vietnam in the 1960s?



6		In light of what happened in Kosovo, do you find either Michael Barone's or Cal Thomas's use of the Vietnam analogy persuasive? Explain.



7		What do you believe are the lessons that Americans should draw from the Vietnam War?

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