This era’s wars in Ukraine and Gaza are having a more dramatic impact both on global alignments and US politics than the wars in Vietnam and Iraq had in their respective eras. And this is happening without any American troops directly engaged in either conflict.

The war in Vietnam was fought at the peak of the Cold War during which time global alliances were largely set in stone as the “West” and its allies were confronting the Soviet bloc and the national liberation movements they were supporting. The non-aligned movement of countries who claimed independence from both blocs was largely dismissed by the US as being influenced by the Soviets and China. Despite representing a humiliating American defeat, the Vietnam war concluded without any significant changes in global alliances.

The real impact of Vietnam was felt within the US as divisions over the war and the military draft of millions of young people spurred mass protests. The resultant broader social discontent ultimately contributed to the breakdown of the dominant culture that had taken hold since World War II. What emerged in its wake was a counter culture that expressed itself in a range of protest movements—cultural, social, and political—that led to “challenges to authority” on all levels.

The intense opposition to Vietnam tore apart the Democratic Party, resulting in a chaotic 1968 Democratic Convention, and ultimately brought down Lyndon Johnson’s presidency.

The war on Iraq, occurring in the post-9/11 period, had less of a domestic impact despite mass protests. But as divisive as the war was to some, it took years before the US was forced to withdraw from Iraq—which it did without declaring victory or acknowledging defeat. Despite its costs, in lives and treasure, the war wasn’t transformative to the political culture and had no significant impact on the national debate. Though a majority of Americans from both parties became weary and wary of new wars as a result of the failed and costly efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, there still has not been a calling to account for the lies that led us into these wars or the behavior of US forces or intelligence agencies in combat or the “war on terror.”

If anything, the toll of the Iraq war was felt internationally. The arrogant unilateralism of the Bush administration alienated some European allies and caused other nations to question the US’ coercive behaviors. We squandered both the political capital we had secured at the end of the Cold War and the sympathy we gained after the horrors of 9/11. Instead of a nation to be admired, we came to be seen as a bully to be feared.

Now to the present.

The wars in Ukraine and Gaza are each negatively impacting the US’ global standing in different ways. To be fair, the seeds of the unraveling of US standing in the world predated these wars, going back at least to the turn of the century. Despite our obvious strengths, the damage done by the failed adventures in Afghanistan and Iraq, the chaotic twists and turns in our approaches to the rest of the world from Bush to Obama to Trump and now Biden, and our persistent deference to Israel’s interests instead of the pursuit of a just Israeli-Palestinian........

© Common Dreams