ECHOES OF HISTORY
Came across this fascinating piece by Evan Osnos in the Economist this weekend, titled "Long After We Left"*:
"I didn’t expect to find much visible trace of the American war in
Vietnam. The Vietnamese are too hard-bitten to dwell on it, and they’ve
sanded away all but the outcroppings of history—the museums, the
memorials. As one Vietnamese acquaintance pointed out, “The Americans
weren’t here all that long.” Indeed,
as many will tell you, their history is marked far more deeply by struggles with that other large country—China. This month marks an anniversary that most Americans have no reason to remember: On February 17, 1979, Vietnam had barely settled its war with America when China invaded, sparking a border war that claimed at least sixty thousand lives.
All this is of course very impressive, having occurred in "just" thirty years.
But more interesting is the broader historical context of the Chinese-Vietnamese relationship, as Osnos continues to explain:
A generation ago, American war planners made the mistake of believing that short-term Communist sympathies would unite China and Vietnam. We were wrong, and it tragically misshaped our policy in Vietnam. Today, we stand a better chance of promoting a peaceful balance of power in East Asia by acknowledging China’s natural advantages—and limitations."
One can't but help think about what lessons this holds for us with the current foreign policy relationships that vex us the most.
* Image source
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