Rapprochement Between Vietnam and the United States (Report‪)‬

Until 1995, the United States never enjoyed anything approaching "normal relations" with any government of Vietnam, either North or South, nor with the Vietnamese people themselves. The path to normal relations was strewn with obstacles that were emotional and psychological as well as political--the "Vietnam syndrome". The humiliating collapse, and tragedies inflicted on the South Vietnamese, left Americans with a sense of national sorrow and shame; Southeast Asia was often cast aside as a diseased part of the Indochina debacle. The war deflated the idealism of the Kennedy era and weakened the bipartisan consensus that had been the fundament of foreign policy under Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Government service was no longer an honourable calling. The Central Intelligence Agency became the whipping boy for the ills of the war. The US military exited Vietnam dispirited and, in the eyes of many Americans, dishonoured by events such as "My Lai". (1) Ever since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, comparisons with Vietnam have been hotly debated--lessons learned or not learned from Vietnam, "hearts and minds", the hazards of "nation building". How to pursue economic development in the absence of security, how to balance an American military presence with the sensitivities of the host society, these were dilemmas never fully resolved during the American effort in Vietnam and they are apparent today in Afghanistan. (2) Rapprochement has necessarily been "step-by-step" and reciprocal. Aware of their respective internal critics, the two sides have sought an atmosphere of trust in order to move the relationship forward slowly yet with a degree of certainty. It is well understood, but circumspectly articulated, that the rise of China and continuing tensions in the South China Sea are a fundamental rationale for a "strategic dialogue". Deliberately, the military-to-military aspect has not been permitted to grow faster than broader diplomatic and economic relationships. The United States and Vietnam have different--sometimes sharply opposed--views on governance and some foreign affairs issues. The relationship is nonetheless nourished by certain bilateral and regional issues on which they do indeed share common interests. The depth and durability of rapprochement will depend on constant consultation and adjustments and a clear-eyed assessment of geopolitical realities in Asia. Lessons and Conclusions from Normalization, 1977-95