Great topic
Yea, the Vietnam War was a real game changer for America, and I think, also the world.
Not because Vietnam is any great country or did much beside managing to not be totally wiped out – though survival under the French then the American is nothing to sneeze at either. Barely getting it moving under the comrades ain’t third rate participation trophy at kids parties too.
But Vietnam changed the world as we know it because of the responses and reaction by American planners after the war.
It changed the world, or in this case, not changed it much, in that other European colonies and potential national independence leaders have to think twice, ten times before daring to commit the ultimate crime of wanting independence from Western imperial kindness.
As Chomsky quoted Henry Kissinger as saying… Vietnam, and Argentina [or some S.American country], is a virus threatening the new world order. So you’d deal with it as you deal with any illness: immunise it before it spreads any further.
So there was a Domino Theory at the centre of these Cold War wars, just it wasn’t to defend Capitalism against Communism, freedom against totalitarianism… though those too do play a side role. The Domino was that if a former colony such as Vietnam/IndoChina could just rise up and have the world support its fight for national independence, others will also rise then you will have to start properly paying for resources and proper wages to the coolies and savages.
After Vietnam, and Cambodia… the world’s freedom fighters, would be recruits, might want to think that living in slavery is better than total destruction. And it seem to work pretty well until maybe the Arabs kinda had it not too long ago.
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On the American domestic policy side, Vietnam really got the average American, the average folks around the world to get politically active. The common plebs don’t like war crimes, don’t like imperial over-reach and other grand strategies that destroy people, even if those people happen to be yellow or brownish.
The American Civil Rights movement, the anti-war activists, the free press streaming images of imperial wars on a peasant population causing outrage, the environmental movement, the unions, the well educated and good wages… These put too much restraints on state planners, captain of industries, endless wars… and became a full blown “crisis of democracy”.
The state/corporate response to such “crisis” results in the world we are living today.
Dismantling of unions; low wages; insecurity everywhere; a free media in the hand of some half dozen corporations whose owners’ other interests are given massive gov’t/pentagon contracts so they know who butter their bread.
More indebted populous, ever increasing costs of living and getting an education; no time to learn or think outside that narrow field of expertises; jobs offshore where that is sensible, and on-shoring of skilled labour just to keep the blue and White collars on their toes, looking after their own interest first before daring to think about the widows and orphans who’s too lazy to get a job.
So yea, the Vietnam War did changed America and the world.
Quoting Chomsky… the country became more civilised because of it. That before VN hit front page news and the tv screen nightly, most Americans don’t much care for what happened abroad, what’s being done in their name.
After VN, Reagan and other presidents all have to do secret wars, and do it fast knowing that the public will not put up with it.
But with media consolidation, with properly controlled free speeches, we’re back to only killing the bad guys and doing good around the world, spreading freedom and civilisation like the good old days.
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