Which foreign policy blunder was worse?

[Californiadreaming]

Vietnam. Indeed, unlike with Saddam post-1991, we might have actually been able to work with Ho Chi Minh. After all, as far as I know, Ho Chi Minh was either as much or almost as much of a nationalist as he was a Communist.

[Californiadreaming]

Vietnam. Indeed, unlike with Saddam post-1991, we might have actually been able to work with Ho Chi Minh. After all, as far as I know, Ho Chi Minh was either as much or almost as much of a nationalist as he was a Communist.

Apparently, Ho Chi Minh sent some sort of letter of good will or a request/offer for/of aid to DC during the Truman regime that was (needless to say) ignored.

Very interesting! Plus, didn't the U.S. previously work with Ho during World War II in the fight against Japan?

[Californiadreaming]

Vietnam. Indeed, unlike with Saddam post-1991, we might have actually been able to work with Ho Chi Minh. After all, as far as I know, Ho Chi Minh was either as much or almost as much of a nationalist as he was a Communist.

Apparently, Ho Chi Minh sent some sort of letter of good will or a request/offer for/of aid to DC during the Truman regime that was (needless to say) ignored.

Very interesting! Plus, didn't the U.S. previously work with Ho during World War II in the fight against Japan?

Sounds familiar.

At least Ho doesn't (really) appear to have turned on the U.S. afterwards like Saddam did after the end of the Iran-Iraq War, though.

[Californiadreaming]

What would victory in Iraq have even been?

Well, look at the actual situation in Iraq in 2011, and you'll certainly have your answer.

[Californiadreaming]

The blunder in Iraq made the geopolitical region much worse afterwards.

That's ... debatable.

Indeed, while I'm not necessarily saying that invading Iraq in 2003 (and wasting a lot of money on Iraq afterwards) was a good move, I am unsure that the current situation in the Middle East is worse than it would have been if Saddam Hussein wouldn't have been overthrown by the U.S. in 2003.

[Californiadreaming]

Obviously the two biggest foreign policy blunders in U.S. history, but I lean towards Iraq. Vietnam was ultimately a perverted extension of existing Cold War policy, whereas Iraq was peddled on a blatant lie and continues to have longstanding ramifications.

To be fair, though, while the official reasons given for invading Iraq were flawed, there were legitimate reasons to invade Iraq in 2003 (even if one doesn't actually agree with these reasons).

[Californiadreaming]

Vietnam. It killed more people, and many of ours were drafted--sent to die in a stupid war involuntarily. Iraq was horrible, but at least the Americans whose lives were cut short had some say in it, even if it was founded on lies.

Very good point!

You must be logged in to read this quote.

To be fair, though, at least the U.S. actually brought democracy to Iraq.