Since WWII, there has not been one war that we've fought where diplomacy would have worked better.

[Yavin4]

Last edited Wed Jul 5, 2017, 03:54 PM - Edit history (1)

better. Looking at the trailer for Ken Burns' upcoming documentary on Vietnam got me to thinking about all of the wars we've fought since WWII, and I don't think that there was one war that we fought that could have handled much better with diplomacy and negotiation.

The most egregious example was the first Gulf War in 1990. There was absolutely no reason at all to fight that war, and doing so has lead to other wars and terrorist attacks.

--On Edit to add better to the headline. The word was in my post--

[unblock]

1. did you phrase your post backward?

did you mean to say that diplomacy would have worked better in all cases?

[Yavin4]

18. The sentence ends on the first word of my post. n/t

[exboyfil]

2. Should you say "..would not have worked.."

or

Every war that we have fought since WWII would have been resolved better with diplomacy.

I was ready to go high order until I understood what you were trying to say.

[H2O Man]

3. Vietnam.

Had FDR lived longer, there would have been no war involving the US. After FDR died, negotiations taken in good faith would have resolved the conflict. For example, had we not prevented elections, Ho would have been overwhelmingly elected to rule a united Vietnam.

[zipplewrath]

4. France

You're not giving France any credit for that particular fiasco. Our involvement snakes through them.

[H2O Man]

8. FDR did not

intend to support France's desire to re-colonize Vietnam. Truman stated that "yellow people" weren't ready for democracy. Hence, the US policy was to fund France's failing effort, and then to replace them after the French were thoroughly defeated. There are, of course, numerous other related issues that could be discussed -- as the incorrectly-title "Pentagon Papers" show. But none change the facts that were in my post.

[brush]

5. Better edit your hed, it seems to be saying the opposite of what your OP does.

Last edited Wed Jul 5, 2017, 01:41 PM - Edit history (1)

[oberliner]

6. Huh?

They all would've been handled better with diplomacy.

[Beartracks]

7. Would NOT have worked better, you mean.

[tazkcmo]

9. Both Oil Wars.

Both unnecessary and both courtesy of the Bush crime family.

[Yavin4]

19. Looking back the case for both oil wars was absurd.

Korea and Vietnam were also absurd, but you could make a sort of moral argument.

[dembotoz]

10. i am confused....i feel like trump looking for the limo

[Democrats_win]

11. In Korea, diplomacy was almost impossible.

Korea--Nearly 50,000 dead Americans with no real change--a tragedy that North Korean Supreme leader Kim Il sung gave us. South Korea was back on their heals when America and the UN got involved. Isn't it ironic that the UN didn't give us a diplomatic solution? It would have been tough even with all the leverage the U.S. had at the time. Diplomacy clearly would have been better but it would not have worked.

As we've observed since, the North Koreans are majorly f'd up as far as world leaders go and they've gotten worse--like U.S. and Trump.

Then there was the South Korean strongman Syngman Rhee. A possible solution would have been to let Syngman Rhee's South Korea fall.

Overall, the invasion was a calculated risk that the Russians and Korea took. American involvement was partly about America confronting Communist expansion which was a major concern for America at the time. America also wanted to ensure that South Korea's economic door remained open. Additionally, the war justified Truman's recently announced plan to expand U.S. military spending. (We know exactly how that works!) It took a while for South Korea to become a more democratic country although recent events shows they have major political problems. Nevertheless, they've improved politically. Economically, South Korea is an Asian tiger.

[Xolodno]

17. We should have taken China at its word...

...don't approach the Yalu river. North Korea was already finished and would have been forced to the negotiating table, perhaps even accepting being demilitarized like Japan. But General MacArthur ignored it...and who knows, disobeyed the President and planned invading China the whole time and we would be forced to continue the war once we crossed in according to rumor. But surprise, surprise, China sent troops pouring over doped up on opium to make them even more fanatical. And Russia sent air power via "volunteers" and gave a fight the military wasn't ready for.

[DefenseLawyer]

12. The idea that a communist government in Vietnam would have been a pawn of the Chinese

failed to take into account that Vietnam and China have hated one another for thousands of years. I remember McNamara finally figured that out and went on an apology tour about 30 years later.

[killbotfactory]

13. And the mainstream media was a cheerleader for all of them.

They act like a propaganda wing of the MIC.

[GeorgeGist]

14. Huh?

[Kaleva]

15. Your post makes you look like a speechwriter for Cheney

But that isn't your intent

[sinkingfeeling]

16. What? 99.9% of our 'wars' since WWII could have been avoided.