Globalisation: Vietnam (The Fog of War) (2)

An excerpt out of the fantastic documentary "The Fog of War" about the life of Mac Namara.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• vietnam
• tonkin
• maddox
• johnson
• mac
• namara

[jasoninsb]

It is amazing and sad how few see films like this. Imagine it! A former secretary of defense sharing decades of knowledge, on film, like an extensive lecture. And NO ONE watches it. What a sad statement about America.

[proadmin1]

This film should probably be studied by any country that sends troops anywhere.

[Thelookoutslookout]

@jasoninsb Very true. I was slack jawed watching this film. A treasure trove of incredible information.

[Ixtulu]

@jasoninsb Hi - you are right. I have this whole DVD at home - I am from Vienna Austria. I was in school, as the first troops came to Vietnam in March 65. This time was so different to now. We had the Cold War. We from Western Europe lived in fear, cause the Soviet border was closed to us. Our teachers and the older generation told us, a third worldwar will began soon! Just 2 years before we had the Cuba Crises, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam war began......the West lived in fear!

[imbrd]

@proadmin1 o no, not countries. PEOPLE should study this. Too often people fall prey to lies that "authorities/officials" make

[agcr1]

Ugh, America is still so primitive...

[celticultural]

great movie, shitty clip, why even post it?

[proadmin1]

@ManicStreetStevO What I meant to say was that there are some extreme circumstances one can imagine - such as an attack against the Congress, where the Executive might _have_ to function as a "Unitary" executive in the fashion of the Bush and Johnson administrations. But this notion leads rather inevitably to systemic abuses - whether the general appointed staff who (In Viet Nam) acted in good faith, or as in the Office of Special Plans - where there was actual intent to deceive.

[proadmin1]

I do agree to an extent, the President should have the right to act as is required by a situation, (consider a 9/11 where the Congress was itself decimated in the attack), however what we REALLY should guard against is the structural failure in both Viet Nam and Iraq(2), you had elements within the military industrial complex which "wanted" war or - saw war as the only real option, with Rostow, Bundy & McNamara their loyalties were never in question, Perle, Wolfowitz & Feith are another matter.

[ariesswede]

we shuld only go to war if the CONGRESS deems it appropriate....these resolutions are a way to circumvent this and its unconstitutional

[proadmin1]

It occurs to me that what we probably SHOULD do, is exactly what Mr. Mc Namara suggests, looking again at the larger picture of - how does/should a superpower behave in the light of nuclear/other WMD where escalations ensue.

What is STRIKING to my mind, is how very much Bundy, Mc Namara & others had hesitation at the time, regarding their actions, whereas current players Wolfowitz et al, very certainly didn't, the system is not well geared to prevent unaccountable auto-escalation.