The US Relationship with the Republic of Vietnam - Term Paper Example

How has the relationship with the Republic of Vietnam changed since diplomatic relations were re-established in 1995?” This paper outlines and analyses the complex diplomatic and economic relationship between the United States and the Republic of Vietnam. Primarily concerned with the post-1995 period, the paper will argue that over time diplomatic relations have improved considerably. How has the relationship with the Republic of Vietnam changed since diplomatic relations were re-established in 1995? Introduction The diplomatic relationship between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the United States has changed from one of adversary in 1975 to one of ‘significant partner’ in 2010. Today both nations freely exchange trade and tourists while also agreeing on many significant diplomatic positions to do with the South East Asian region. However, this was not always the case. Although there were behind the scenes talks between the two countries in the twenty years since the end of the war in 1975 it was not until 1995 that diplomatic relations were officially re-established. Since then the relationship between the two have been improving with each passing year. The present U.S. administration, headed by President Barack Obama has now officially designated the Republic of Vietnam as a “significant partner”. This paper will briefly outline the changes that have occurred in the last forty years, concluding that overall there is now a strong diplomatic and economic bond uniting the two nations. Discussion The U.S. relationship with Vietnam in the twenty years leading up to 1995 was strained. Almost immediately after its victory over South Vietnam the new Republic further antagonised American interests by turning to the U.S.S.R. for military aid and financial assistance (Largo 2002). China, other smaller South East Asian nations and the United States were all concerned with the growing influenced of the Soviet Union in the region; ironically, the very reason that the U.S. had previously involved itself in the Vietnamese civil war. The Vietnamese decision to invade Cambodia in 1979 also strained an already tense relationship. The U.S. promised to continue the trade embargo put in place after 1975 until Vietnam removed its occupying forces from Cambodia (Largo 2002). The prisoner of war issue also strained the relationship between the two countries. For many years after the end of the war in 1975 the U.S. claimed that Hanoi was not doing enough to repatriate American service personnel held prisoner during the war. While it is unlikely that American POW’s remained captive after the end of the war the image remained a strong one for many in the U.S; indeed, the image of the captive American was such a powerful cultural icon that it had a significant negative effect on the political relationship between the two nations (Shulzinger 2006). However, with the withdrawal of troops from Cambodia, and a softening of hardline policy from both Washington and Hanoi, the relationship between the two countries improved significantly. In 1995 the Clinton administration officially recognised the Republic of Vietnam promising that the move would help “bind up our wounds” and aid further trade and investment between the two nations (Brune & Burns 2003). Initially, the relationship between the two counties was based almost entirely on trade. The most significant agreement signed by Vietnam and the U.S. was the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) signed in April 2000. According to Largo (2002) the BTA was “a major step towards normalizing U.S.-Vietnam commercial relations” because it re-established for both countries “most-favored-nation” status. This meant that Vietnam promised to undertake limited economic reform and the U.S. would reduce tariffs on imported goods from Vietnamese companies (Largo 2002). Interestingly, the Clinton and later Bush administrations both had a hand in the BTA; the negotiations were undertaken during the Clinton years yet the agreement was ratified under G.W. Bush Jnr. Recent trade figures also suggest that Republicans and Democrats – as well as their counterparts in Hanoi - saw the advantages in keeping open the lines of communication. Such advantages have remained under the present administration. Under President Obama trade between Vietnam and the U.S. has reached well over 15 billion US$ (www.census.gov) Diplomatically Vietnam has become on important partner to the U.S. in the South East Asian region. The process of “normalisation” after the hostility exhibited after the end of the war was slow, however. As Robert Schulzinger (2006) explains in A Time for Peace: the legacy of the Vietnam War, “the United States was angry and vindictive towards Vietnam, imposing an economic boycott, vetoing its membership in the United Nations, and refusing to extend diplomatic recognition”. However, real change begun under the administration of George Bush Snr. In his inaugural speech to congress in 1989 Bush made the “normalization” of relations with Vietnam a priority; “no great nation”, he said, “can long be sundered by a memory” (Schulzinger 2006). Despite his intentions, and the collapse of communism providing added impetus, it still took five more years for the American people to accept the possibility of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations; such was the level of bitterness present among the American public (Schulzinger 2006). Part of the reason such ties were possible almost thirty years later was that because the Soviet Union had collapsed China was now looking like the greatest threat to the US in the Pacific. Ever since the end of the war in 1975 Vietnam had been severing its ties with China in favour of the U.S.S.R, consequently, relations between the two neighbors had deteriorated significantly (Schulzinger 2006). With the massacres in China in 1989 the U.S. looked to Vietnam as a new partner, one who was consistently opposed, at least publicly, to the brutal Chinese regime (Schulzinger 2006). New envoys were dispatched to Hanio shortly after Tiananmen and this led, ultimately, to the normalization of relations between Vietnam and the United States in 1995. However, considering the regional importance of Vietnam the U.S. has not made the relationship with the Republic a priority. Until the violent Chinese crackdown in 1989 the U.S. did not consider Vietnam a major foreign relations concern. Indeed, China was considered vastly more important than Vietnam in terms of trade, defense and diplomacy. Vietnam, however, considered the Chinese a serious threat. Taking advantage of their invasion of Cambodia the Chinese had invaded sections of the new Republic (Cima 2002). Consequently, U.S. diplomatic talks with China were frowned upon in Hanoi and this led to a serious strain on an already difficult relationship. The most recent Bush administration too did not make relations with Vietnam a priority, however late in his second term Bush did host a visit by the Vietnamese President to the White House. Indeed, considering the hostile nature of the relationship in 1975, there has been considerable progress up to 1995, and even greater progress since. Conclusion The relationship with the Republic of Vietnam has improved significantly since diplomatic relations were re-established in 1995. Initially, there was considerable hostility between the two nations. After the end of the war in 1975 both sides considered the other on poor terms. The United States, angered over its defeat and concerned for its POW’s still thought to be languishing in Vietnamese camps, did its best to punish Vietnam by severing trade and applying as much diplomatic pressure as it could. Vietnam too still retained considerable animosity towards the U.S. Economic sanctions and the U.S.’s seemingly close relationship with its enemy China all added to the hostility it felt towards the much larger nation. However, after 1995 things changed. The collapse of the Soviet Union meant that the U.S. and Vietnam had a mutual enemy in China. Moreover, enough time had passed since the end of the war that public opinion in both countries now appeared to accept a normalization of diplomatic affairs. Diplomatic recognition followed and soon trade increased between the two nations. Today Vietnam and the U.S. have most-favored status, solid diplomatic relations and over 15 billion dollars worth of mutual trade. With trade and political ties now binding the two former enemies it is to be expected that the U.S. and the Republic of Vietnam will gradually become much closer in the years to come. References Republic of Vietnam official embassy web site, http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/news/story.php?d=20100422174748 accessed, 5 May, 2010. United States Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c5520.html#2009 accessed, 5, May, 2010. Brune, Lester H., and Richard Dean Burns, (2003) Chronological History of U.S. Foreign Relations; 1989-2000, NY, Routledge. Cima, Robert, “Introduction”, in Largo, V., (2002) Vietnam: current issues and historical background, NY, Nova. Duiker, William J., and Jackson J. Spielvogel, (2010) World History, Volumes 1-2, Boston, Wadsworth. Largo, V., (2002) Vietnam: current issues and historical background, NY, Nova. Schulzinger, Robert D., (2006) A Time for Peace: the legacy of the Vietnam War, NY, Oxford. Read More