A Modern Day Vietnam?

Vietnam is considered to be America's failure. America's hubris. The epitomy of audacity, arrogance, and overbearing. Forty years later, another nightmarish war would be similar to Vietnam: Afghanistan.

The combined wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are somewhat ridiculously called, The War on Terror. I'm not saying that the wars were not against terror; at the beginning they were. Seven years later the wars have developed into a deeper struggle.

While the leaders of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are religious extremists, the majority of the fighters are not. To understand how this is possible, one must look at the income of these organizations. These terrorist groups are funded by the opium trade, not unlike the Vietcong who peddled drugs out of Southeast Asia. The opposition were both, in some part, being funded by illicit drugs.

No jobs are being created in Afghanistan, leaving able-bodied men desperate for money to feed their families. Even more desperate are young teenage boys that have been left as the head of the family because of their father's death. The unemployed turn to extremist groups for money in return for their service. Thus, the American military is not only fighting terrorists, but also desperate, needy civilians. Civilians that most likely are more sympathetic to the U.S. than their religious counterparts.

The consensus has long been that the military defeat in Vietnam was inevitable. Even with more soldiers, more money, and less "if's", the North would still have overrun the South. The same arguments are being made in the war in Afghanistan. General McChrystal has requested for many more soldiers and much more funding for the rapidly deteriorating war in Afghanistan. While the President and his generals are looking towards the past, and specifically 'Nam, their attention should be at the people of Afghanistan, not the terrorists. Our military succeeded on destroying the majority of the terrorists wing. However, our military failed to disable our enemies funding and supplies. Some historians believe that if President Johnson had moved more aggressively against the North and cut off their supplies that an inevitable defeat would have turned into a glorious victory for democracy. The best weapon to defeat the Taliban is simple and achievable: provide jobs. Secure the cities and provide jobs for the people. Burn the opium fields, provide jobs for the opium farmers, and choke the Taliban. A modern day Anaconda Plan.

The parallels between Vietnam and Afghanistan are glaring at the President and his advisors. The unknown enemy that uses guerilla tactics. The undefined objectives of the wars. A public that is war weary and more unrestful than ever. However, unlike Vietnam, the military has some more positives going in America's favor. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda are not being supplied by another world superpower. Their flanks are not being replenished by thousands of loyal soldiers. The U.S. military has and continues to develop new and improved anti-guerilla warfare tactics. Most importantly, our soldiers. A British Commander during World War I said that he had never before seen "such lions led by such lambs." Our lions are being led on the ground by lions. The President and his generals will soon either commit to this war or abandon a people who only know disappointment. Let our lions be fierce and our thinkers be sharp.