America's War in Vietnam - Essay Example

In Vietnam, the feeling of hate for communists was partly fuelled by the innate anti-communist spirit as well as the effect of the vendetta by the politicians. This was a part of the wider policy of containment followed by the United States of America (Addington, 2000).

The war ended with the takeover of Saigon by the North Vietnamese in the year 1975 and the cessation of war which was a byproduct of the Case-Church agreement. Military intervention by the Americans was a strategy that was followed with great effect in the Korean War. However, the defeat in Vietnam put a serious mark on the policy of containment that concentrated on military intervention as a deterrent (Daum & Gardner, 2003). The war showed a lot of inadequacy on the part of the Special Forces in the country. Even the American marines also failed severely in the war. It put into doubt and criticism on the American military’s policy of attrition. This policy came under heavy fire as that led to a lot of casualties on the war front. This particular war showcased the vulnerability of the American forces towards guerilla warfare. The Vietnam War caused a widespread imbalance on the industrial front. The factories that would be used for the production of domestic goods were used for the production of military goods. The funds were mainly overseas, which caused the incidence of a weak dollar (Isserman & Bowman, 2003). A huge amount of spending also created a weak dollar due to the large outflow. Inflation increased by leaps and bounds during that period. There was a fries in the interest rates that also fuelled a drop in the investment and the industrial activities of America. This restricted the capital available for the various businesses. The loss dealt a heavy blow to the Domino Theory formulated by Eisenhower. After the defeat in the Vietnam War, American policy shifted from pure anti-communism and military intervention to covert diplomacy. Another major revolution in US foreign policy was the Attack on Twin Towers. The changes in the foreign policy were the principles of the sustenance of American hegemony on the world without engaging in active conflict. It also signaled the start of the policy of look east and a great amount of upheaval of the national security system. It also led to the American policy of identification of rogue states and taking passive or active steps against them on various platforms. The most tumultuous impact of the Twin Tower attack was the shift from the extreme anti-communist agenda to an anti-extremist agenda.