Vietnam Ripples
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Interesting to see a similar analysis of the Iraq and Afgahistan wars. I would think that a lot of the same things could be said.
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However, over larger areas, the US faces similar challenges to the Vietnam War: insurgencies and potentially unreliable local allies. Thus, the US has increased its spending on special forces groups and “smart” weapons. At the same time, spending on conventional weapons has declined, which may be influencing American decisions on arming Ukraine in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. The US may be hesitant to provide Ukraine ample weaponry both out of fear of draining its own stockpiles and concerns that a sudden Russian advance might lead to the capture of those weapons, similar to the end of both the Vietnam War and the unexpected advance of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Those are perfectly legitimate concerns.
At the same though I do not believe for a moment that Ukraine or NATO members can be considered unreliable. I would add that unlike the south Vietnamese who were engaged in a civil war in the which the sides were represented by two opposing ideologies, the Ukrainians are fighting a war of foreign aggression and occupation and are only too willing to die for their continued sovereign independence and freedom.
