History Repeats Itself

Paper Summary:

The paper draws a parallel between the public reaction at the various stages of the Vietnam and current Iraq wars, the economic interests of the American governments in both wars and the disregard for the local people and their culture then and now. The paper discusses the public's general lack of critical judgment with regard to the American government that was manifested in both wars. The paper calls for Americans to develop greater critical thinking skills and to learn to separate emotion from truth. The paper also asserts that the public remember the Constitution, that each citizen, regardless of heritage or religion, has rights and is innocent until proven guilty. The paper concludes that the ultimate impact of the Vietnam war, that all sides lost, is the most important lesson for the war in Iraq today.

From the Paper:

""History repeats itself" is perhaps the saying that most accurately portrays human nature. It is the human tendency not to learn from mistakes, even if these have been repeated numerous times. This certainly appears to be true of the United States Government, regardless of who resides in the position of President. Indeed, the lack of an ability to learn from the past can be clearly demonstrated by highlighting some of the similarities between the Iraqi and Vietnam wars."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ahrari, Ehsan. Iraq vs. Vietnam: Similarities and differences. Asia Times, Apr. 2, 2003. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED02Ak05.html
• Geyer, Georgie Anne. Vietnam and Iraq have more similarities than differences. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Nov. 10, 2003. http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2003/11/10_geyer_iraq-vietnam.htm
• Rogers, Ian Pajer. Similarities drawn between Iraq and Vietnam. The New Hampshire, May 4, 2007. http://media.www.tnhonline.com/media/storage/paper674/news/2004/04/16/Opinion/Similarities.Drawn.Between.Iraq.And.Vietnam-662649-page2.shtml

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