The Powerful Vietnam War and the Effect on American Foreign Policy

In the United States’ history, many disputes have been escalated by our foreign policy’s role in international affairs. Because of the democratic beliefs and ideals we as a country hold , we often feel obligated to act as world leaders in aiding others in need leading to these disputes mentioned afore. One such war fought with this belief was the Vietnam War when the United States attempted to help the Vietnamese but ultimately ended up hurting themselves and worsening the war’s progress. The war’s severe implications revealed numerous areas of weaknesses in American society primarily with governmental policies. Specifically, this inevitable loss of the Vietnam …show more content…
Even though the draft had been employed since the Civil War, it had become highly problematic during the Vietnam War as the death toll grew exponentially within the first few years of the war. The then current draft lottery system favored the upper-class and discriminated against the undereducated and low income class. This behavior only encouraged more resistance to the war and draft itself increasing anti-war sentiment. President Nixon, hoping to address the people’s concerns and use it as a political weapon for his own candidacy, believed the affected would stop protesting the conflict once they did not have to risk their lives. President Nixon signed the law that ended the draft and associated services on January 27, 2973, despite initial opposition from Congress and the Department of Defense. This volunteer-based aspect actually improved the military to be more motivated, skilled, and disciplined as the ones fighting were ones that were passionate and apt for the cause. The All - Volunteer Force was also deemed feasible and affordable raising military manpower in terms of labor and quick response to …show more content…
Far from being an isolationist country anymore, the United States willingly involves itself in worldly matters to maintain democracy and stability. As the policemen of the free world, America has worked closely with the United Nations and other allies to prevent war and help the underrepresented nations in such conflicts such as in the Iranian Hostage Crisis. At a time isolationist policies were highly regarded, but with the change of times the U.S. has adapted to fit their current needs to maintain peace and security. The fear of foreign intervention is shown in the 15-hour battle of Mogadishu where 18 American servicemen died in Somalia in October 1993. President Clinton ordered these troops to leave the location to save American lives. However half a year later, one million Rwandans were killed and Clinton’s decision became one of his and the United States’ biggest regrets as it could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Fought primarily during the late 1990s to 2014, the Afghanistan Wars are another key example of how foreign policy has reflected on American war decisions since the Vietnam War. Though foreign policy has changed since then, mistakes from the war were repeated such as when the U.S. similarly discouraged overseas intervention until the attack of 9/11 when many lives could have been saved with that decision. These repeated mistakes