Introduction 

The Vietnam War remains an emotive subject for many Americans reflecting the complexities of war and motivating questions about whether the decade-long intervention by the United States was worth the cost. Although the Vietnam War started as part of the United States’ containment strategy, it quickly escalated and became a costly stalemate. Furthermore, the war led to the eruption of nationwide protests because citizens doubted government progress reports on its military operations and motives. The deadlock resulting from the prolonged war and growing calls for a change in foreign policy led to the adoption of ‘détente’ by the United States. The United States underwent a permanent shift due to the Vietnam War because it had to rethink its diplomatic approach as Americans became hesitant about using the military to pursue foreign policy objectives.   

Background and Cause of United States Involvement in the War 

The United States military intervention in Vietnam is attributable to the government’s belief that the country would fall under the sphere of communist influence. Ho Chi Minh’s success against the French and the subsequent signing of the Geneva Accords that divided the country along the 17th parallel heightened fears that communism would spread further in Southeast Asia (Haridakis 199). For example, the United States sought to start a military campaign to aid its allies in Vietnam and forestall its fall to communism, like China, since it would weaken its presence in the area. Furthermore, the United States’ belief that the growth of communism in Vietnam would cause a domino effect that would lead to the growth of the ideology across Southeast Asia also contributed immensely to the emergence of the war (Haridakis 201). Therefore, the United States’ involvement in the war is attributable to its ideological fears of the spread of communism.  

Impact of the War on the United States 

Public distrust toward the war’s execution and the complete national response triggered destructive public demonstrations. As the war progressed and news about its high death toll emerged, an anti-war movement started sprouting up across the country, with Americans questioning the intervention’s justification (Minh 36). For example, the growing moral outrage among Americans led to the 1967 March on the Pentagon, increasing opposition to the war as people grew conscious of its horrors. In addition, the leaking of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 demonstrated that the government lied about its progress in the war, undermining its credibility and trust (Quail and Benjamin 166). The general public became more critical of the government and the media, which they believed were colluding to sustain the military intervention. Thus, the divisions stemming from the government’s involvement in the war fostered skepticism towards authority and gave nongovernmental agencies a reason to unite. 

Long-Term Impact on United States Society and Foreign Policies 

The war’s aftermath led to changes in society and foreign policy because Americans became more critical of the effectiveness of military intervention as a tool for initiating change. Following the outcome of the war and considering its significant economic and human cost, Americans grew weary of preventive wars, leading to the emergence of détente that would shape the country’s foreign policy practices with hostile nations like China (O’Riordan 297). For example, America became increasingly focused on low-profile interventions through proxies and covert agencies instead of direct military attacks. Moreover, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution Act of 1973, curtailing the powers a president enjoyed in waging a war (Mitelpunkt 265). This law reflected the growing American desire for a transparent government that is accountable and transparent in its activities.  

Foreign policy actors and government officials use the lessons learned from the Vietnam War to illustrate the need to engage critical stakeholders when intervening in a new country. The reunification of Vietnam under communism illustrated that the intervention was futile and that military power could not change the clamor for nationalism among locals in various countries (Greentree 7). For example, the United States aims to develop lasting peace solutions in war-torn countries like Iraq by involving all critical participants like civil society groups and politicians. However, the United States’ recent failure in Afghanistan mirrors its Vietnam operation, where it backed an illegitimate government (Greentree 10). Therefore, the Vietnam War proves there is an urgent need for reassessing military interventions since these tools failed to produce effective results when pursuing foreign policy goals.

Conclusion 

The Vietnam War occupies a central place in American history because it highlighted the limits of military power and led to the adoption of détente as a foreign policy tool by the United States government. The United States’ intervention in the war was driven by a desire to contain communism from spreading in Southeast Asia, but the plan failed with the triumph of the North Vietnamese forces. Furthermore, the lack of transparency regarding the progress of the war led to a loss of trust within the general public and the growth of the domestic anti-war movement. As a result, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution Act as a reflection of Americans’ desire to keep the executive branch in check and bolster its transparency. 

Works Cited

Greentree, Todd. “What Went Wrong in Afghanistan?” The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters, vol. 51, no. 4, 2021, pp. 7-22. https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss4/3/

Haridakis, Paul. “Fear of Communism in the Twentieth-Century United States and The Vietnam War.” Media and the Dissemination of Fear: Pandemics, Wars and Political Intimidation, 2022, pp. 199-220. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-84989-4_10

Minh, Khánh. “Unveiling the Complex Tapestry: A Historical Analysis of the Vietnam War and Its Impact on America.” Influence: International Journal of Science Review, vol. 5, no. 3, 2023, pp. 35-45. https://doi.org/10.54783/influencejournal.v5i3.180

Mitelpunkt, Shaul. “War and The Demos: The War Powers Resolution in The Context of The Draft’s Demise.” Modern American History, vol. 6, no. 2, 2023, pp. 265-269. https://doi.org/10.1017/mah.2023.24

O’Riordan, Elspeth. “Détente.” Understanding the Cold War: History, approaches and debates. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022. 

Quail, Benjamin W., and Benjamin W. Quail. “1967: Pacification, Charm Offensives and Further Undermined Credibility.” Media Management in the Age of Lyndon B. Johnson: Selling Guns and Butter, 2021, pp. 165-199. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-84946-7_6