How did the fear of "another Vietnam" affect American foreign policy?
1 Answer
A reluctance to become interventionist directly in terms of foreign policy.
Explanation:
Vietnam was a major psychological shock which went to the core of American society and the American psyche.
The media coverage of the war and events such as Tet, the My Lai massacre and the use of napalm and Agent Orange let alone coming to terms with the fact that America suffered a humiliating withdrawal, left massive scars on American society.
This made succeeding American governments very reluctant to get involved militarily, in a direct sense, in foreign conflicts. This did not stop the US having a pro-active foreign policy in areas such as Central America backing brutal regimes in countries such as El Salvador and Honduras. This included military aid and military advisers. The same was true in Afghanistan supporting Osama Bin Laden in the war against the Soviet invasion.
However it took from the withdrawal from Vietnam in 1973 until the first Gulf War in 1990 for another major direct military intervention involving significant numbers of US ground forces,
However even the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent disasters which took place drew unfavourable comparisons with Vietnam.
