The analogy is not perfect. For example, in Vietnam the U.S. and the French were trying to thwart the popular will and prop up one dictator after another, as alternative to the revolutionary Ho Chi Minh, who they knew would have won any free national election. But still there are eery similarities to the current situation with Syria, even though one of the professed aims there is to protect civilians from the brutal dictator Assad: "Eisenhower’s calculated indecisiveness—what looked like spinelessness to those who wanted unequivocal action—in fact offers an excellent precedent for Obama. Like any President, Obama must know that a military strike against another country, whether a major attack or a shot across the bow—whether undertaken by one nation or by a coalition—is an act of war, just as if another country had fired on Washington. Ike’s hesitations went to the very heart of any military engagement.... Eisenhower, a retired five-star general who could brush off political bullying, understood the consequences and purposes of war, the fragility of national prestige, and that, in the midst of emotions that can lead to ill-considered actions, indecisiveness may sometimes be the best first response."
Posted on: Wed, 04 Sep 2013 21:40:15 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015