by Joe Roissier

Created on: March 31, 2009

Intervention Yes, But With Balance

Vietnam: A Case Study in Intervention

I've been living and working here in Hanoi for 9 months now, and I am still a bit surprised to observe how little our view of Vietnam in America has changed in the 30-odd years since we left. On an American television program recently, the young 20-something commentator responded to a sudden loud noise on a construction site by running for cover. He apologized afterward for reacting like "he was in Vietnam or something."

The images etched into our minds are of the little girl running down the dirt path naked, after her clothes were burned off by napalm, her face twisted in terror and pain. And we can all recall the photo of the point blank execution with a pistol to the temple of a young man performed in the streets of Saigon by a local policeman. These memories have influenced our foreign policy ever since, and the debate about why we came here in the first place continues unabated.

This is a vibrant developing country, not a war, and here in Vietnam, the memories of that war are receding into the distant past. And if not completely forgotten by most people here today, it's been put into proper historical perspective. Yes, they did "win" after all, but at a much greater cost in life and property than we can imagine from the safety of our comfortable suburban homes.

So what's our problem when it comes to this place? Why the perpetual guilt and self- loathing among people from my generation and before? We seem to enjoy wallowing in pity or selective amnesia when we think of Vietnam. How do we create a balanced foreign policy and get involved in the internal affairs of others, if and when we're really needed?

Intervention Upon Request

The Vietnamese are very interested in establishing better relations with America based on trust and mutual understanding. They want very much to do business with us and engage in cultural and educational exchanges. They want to adopt many of our methods to their business lives and even their personal lives but they don't want to emulate everything we do.

I was talking with a young woman here in Hanoi not to long ago, a recent college graduate, and aid worker in one of the remote provinces. She was telling me how much she wanted to introduce Vietnamese women to western-style feminism and "raise their consciousness" about women's rights. I found this a noble, if nave aspiration in a country that values strong family ties, and enjoys a 2,000 year old cultural heritage.

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