As U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War began, we were warned of communist hordes overrunning Asia — a concept known as the domino theory. As the war dragged on, we were spoon-fed rosy predictions of our inevitable success and repeatedly told there was “a light at the end of the tunnel.” That war lasted eight years (1965–1973) and cost the lives of 58,000 American soldiers due to the unforgivable hubris of both political parties. Yet, the dominoes never fell. Today, a unified Vietnam under communist rule maintains strong diplomatic relations with the U.S. and serves as a trusted trading partner.
U.S. involvement in Afghanistan began in 2001. We were soon told the Taliban were being routed, a stable government was being established, and the Afghan military was being trained to successfully defend their country against Taliban religious fanatics. This “”smoke and mirrors” foreign policy spanned two decades and the administrations of Democratic and Rethuglican presidents. Afghanistan is now ruled by the Taliban and will be for the foreseeable future.
Donald Trump started a war with Iran with alleged objectives that changed by the day and, at times, by the hour. He claimed the war was won on its first day and was awaiting Iran’s unconditional surrender. We were told that Iran’s nuclear stockpile was obliterated one day and an imminent threat the next. Will the current six-month war turn into six years or longer?
Will it be another “forever war”? Trump (AKA: “Commander Bone Spurs”) doesn’t know and he has made it clear that he doesn’t care as long as it’s a burden for others to carry. Imprisoning and deporting non-white immigrants, pardoning violent criminals, and disenfranchising millions of voters seem to be his top priorities.
