Though it is terrible and costly, war is sometimes the only solution to world problems. It is true that some wars are unnecessary and shouldn't have been undertaken in the first place. This is generally because those wars were started for the wrong reasons, or not fully committed to and poorly managed. As the current world superpower, America should have a protective role in world affairs.
When we look at the Vietnam conflict and its causes, we should first understand that this war was undertaken for what may seem the right reason to us, but, in fact, was undertaken for the wrong reasons. We thought we were protecting a weak nation from Communist aggression. We thought we were liberators and protectors in Vietnam. However, we were not. We were just a hindrance to a wanted change. The people of south Vietnam had no problem becoming a united communist nation. It was the South Vietnamese government, fearing annihilation, that beckoned us to protect them.
We also entered the war for our own reasons. At that time, America and the Communist powers were competing for world influence. The real reason America entered the war was to attempt to contain communism. Truth be told, communism was better than what the South Vietnamese had at the time. This is a war where we put on the costume of liberators to further our own interests. The people of South Vietnam didn't want us there and chose to help the North. You can't help people that don't want to be helped.
America can learn from its mistakes and find its proper place in world affairs when it comes to war. Our nation's military forces should have one purpose and one purpose only. That being the protection of the weak and oppressed. The only time that military action should be taken against another country is if that country is committing crimes against humanity. Our army shouldn't be in Iraq. It should be in Darfur.
Those who hate America in the world hate us because we have not truly done our job when it comes to military matters. We have only protected our own interests. How else do we explain our consistent involvement in the Middle East while ignoring problems in Africa? We are protecting the worlds oil reserves and our continued access to them. Many Muslims hate America because they know that we would rather own those oil reserves than protect them for someone else.
It is not our job to tread the globe in an imperialistic manner and claim whatever we please as our own. When we invade a nation such as Iraq and overthrow a tyrannical dictator like Saddam Hussein we should immediately start cleaning up and rebuilding. There is no reason for our military forces to stay in large numbers once the goal is accomplished. Leaving large numbers of troops standing would give the impression of an occupation force. Only enough soldiers to help maintain law & order should remain. The rebuilding projects should be contracted out to locals to help boost the economy in the area.
Therefore, the responsibilities of liberating forces are as follows; to free the people from tyranny and oppression, to prevent the impression of occupation, to maintain law & order, protect the liberated people, assist in the formation of new local police forces, and to leave the country peacefully in a timely manner. Furthermore, if America assists another nation by suppling arms, like in Afghanistan, it should not be covert. Humanitarian efforts should also follow to help improve our global image as Americans.