Going to war might seem like the most expedited course to
achieving geopolitical aims, even when they in actuality predominately
economic in nature. To the extent that the Cold War was from the American
standpoint a means of keeping capitalism from succumbing to socialism (i.e.,
the state rather than private industry owning the means of production), the
American involvement in the civil war in Vietnam was a waste of effort, not to
mention lives lost. For the feared “loss” of Vietnam to communism turned out
only to be temporary.
The complete essay is at “Capitalism
in Vietnam.”
In retrospect, was the Vietnam War worth it for anyone? (source: CNN)