S4 E5 - Unseen Consequences: Drawing the Line from Vietnam to Ukraine

On the third anniversary of Ukraine's invasion, this episode of 'The Tenth Man' explores parallels between Ukraine and the Vietnam War, highlighting global political hypocrisy. It discusses historical conflicts such as the Korean War, the roles of the UN, and regional responses. The script examines the cultural commonalities between Ukraine and Russia, and emphasizes geographical and historical factors influencing these conflicts. It critiques Europe's limited military support and financial contributions compared to the U.S., and questions the rationale behind American involvement. The episode also touches on historical invasions of Russia and the Cuban Missile Crisis, and criticizes European dependency on U.S. defense. Finally, it suggests that Europe should take more responsibility for its security and foreshadows the next episode on the Flint Water Crisis.

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Transcript

Ukraine is Vietnam

[00:00:00] On the third anniversary of the invasion of the Ukraine, the world ignores the parallels with another Russian sponsored invasion a half century ago. Exploring striking parallels between Ukraine and Vietnam, today, on The Tenth Man.  

History doesn't exactly repeat itself, but it often rhymes. Today, we're diving into the striking similarities between the Soviet invasion of Ukraine and America's experience in the Vietnam War, two conflicts that revealed the hypocrisy of global politics, and why the United States should reconsider its current level of support for Ukraine.

Let's start with a brief history of international [00:01:00] conflicts. The Korean War was a United Nations backed mission, supported by countries worldwide. But after Korea, the world changed. The Vietnam War, like the Iraq War decades later, did not have full UN support. In Vietnam, the Soviet Union's opposition blocked UN involvement.

In Iraq, it was France, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, that withheld support. Driven in part by its economic ties with Saddam Hussein's regime. Two different wars fighting aggression, Vietnam and Iraq, taking place without any UN mandate. Regional factors govern the world's response.  

 The hypocrisy runs deep. Vietnam's conflict began as a French colonial war in Indochina, and the U. S. supported them. When France withdrew, The [00:02:00] U. S. stepped in to prevent communist expansion. Yet when the fight became America's, France offered no support. It was left to other smaller countries like Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea to join in the fight.

Why? Because of their geographic proximity and fear of communism spreading to their shores. Europe, far from Southeast Asia, stayed out. And many nations openly condemned America's involvement. In our own hemisphere, Canada condemned the war and welcomed American draft dodgers. But Canada profited from the war by supplying arms, including Agent Orange, illustrating a pattern of criticizing America while benefiting from its sacrifices.

Now let's talk geography. . Vietnam had been a single nation divided by ideology. [00:03:00] Similarly, Ukraine and Russia have a common history. They were both part of the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. The current conflict began when regions of Ukraine with strong Russian ties sought to break away, much like communist forces in South Vietnam sought to unify with the North.

Yet the European Union frames this as a simple invasion, ignoring the cultural and historical context that fuels these divisions. And those divisions are not going away.  

Ukraine is a huge country, the largest in Western Europe. Even if Ukraine were to succeed,

Ukraine is a huge country, the largest in Western Europe. Even if Ukraine were to cede the disputed territories in the East, it would still be the largest country in Western Europe. Ending the war isn't about wiping Ukraine off the map. It's about addressing long standing regional disputes that the West pretends don't exist.

And they're not going away either. [00:04:00] Vladimir Putin has valid security concerns about Ukraine. Remember the Cuban Missile Crisis? When the Soviet Union placed missiles just 90 miles from Florida, the United States refused to tolerate the threat. So why should Russia tolerate NATO's expanding right up to its border through Ukraine? History matters.

Russia has been invaded twice through Ukraine. First, by Napoleon. Later, when Hitler invaded, it was the deadliest military operation in history, killing tens of millions of Russians. The European Union has never been Russia's friend. Putin's concerns about border security aren't just his ambitions alone, they're rooted in centuries of experience.

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Now let's talk about money. The United States has contributed over a hundred billion dollars to Ukraine, far more than any European country. Germany and the United Kingdom are the next largest contributors, but their aid still falls short of America's. Norway, as we said, profiting from gas sales to the EU contributes only a fraction of that amount.

Canada, though vocal in its support, lags behind in contributions as well.

Canada, though vocal in its support, lags behind in financial contrib

Canada, though vocal in its support, lags behind in financial contributions. Europe, with far more at stake than the U. S., should be leading this effort, not relying on American taxpayers to shoulder the burden. And of course, none of these countries supported the war in Vietnam at all. And what about those who should be doing the actual fighting?

Ukraine's government pleads for international support, while many of its own [00:06:00] men flee the country to avoid the draft. Europe, meanwhile, talks tough, but lacks the military strength to back it up. The United Kingdom's Prime Minister Starmer says he's prepared to send British troops to Ukraine. How will he do that exactly?

The armed services of the UK have been gutted to pay for their social services. The army has more ceremonial horses than it has tanks. The Royal Navy? They have more admirals than they have actual ships of war. The European Union took all the money it should have been spending on defense and has blown it on social programs of the nanny state.

They mock us for having strong armed forces while their health care programs struggle. A lot of good their free medical care will be when there aren't enough hospital beds or doctors to go [00:07:00] around and their nation is invaded. Europe expects America to take up the slack for them because they have no other choice.

We have 20 times as many tanks as the UK. And Europe thinks our armed forces belong to them. They throw a tantrum when we say they should pay for their own defense.

Before we dive back into the Ukraine invasion versus Vietnam debate, check out the little known war film, Siege of Firebase Gloria, starring the inimitable R. Lee Ermey. This raw depiction of the Tet Offensive in Vietnam in 1968 reveals a staggering fact. The Viet Cong lost nearly as many men in Tet as all the Americans who died throughout the war.

And if that isn't enough to shake the narrative, remember, Walter Cronkite himself first hailed it as a South Vietnamese victory with the Americans, [00:08:00] only to later declare it a complete disaster for the Americans , turning public opinion solidly against the war. 

Now that's a twist the mainstream media would rather you never knew about. That again is Siege of Firebase Gloria. Do yourself a favor and watch it. It's available on Amazon Prime. During the Vietnam War, Europe stood on the sidelines and criticized America. During the Iraq War, Canada joined the chorus of critics while avoiding military involvement.

Now Europe expects American taxpayers to finance the fight against Russia, while countries like Norway profit from the conflict. And finally, let's not forget the draft. With Ukrainian men coming to America, bringing their pet cats and dogs with them, why should we support their fight? American men remember we were drafted to fight [00:09:00] other wars, like Vietnam, that were started by Europeans.

The world condemned the U. S. for drafting young black men and sending them to Southeast Asia. Let's take it a step farther. Why should any American boys, draftees or volunteers, black or white, be sent to fight in any of these wars on the Eurasian continent? So what's the takeaway? Geography shapes wars, and proximity determines who fights.

In Vietnam, nearby allies like Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and South Korea supported America because they feared communism spreading to their shores. Europe, far removed, stayed out, and criticized from afar. Now the roles are reversed. Europe is on the front lines with Ukraine, yet America is expected to foot the bill.

History shows that wars like [00:10:00] Vietnam and now Ukraine drag on when the West tries to force solutions in regions with deep historical divisions. And here's the ultimate irony. While America acts on principle, other Western countries accuse it of acting out of self interest. This is projection. They judge the United States through the lens of their own self serving motives.

This is projection. It is time for Europe to take responsibility. The United States cannot and should not be the world's policemen, especially when those closest to the fight refuse to carry their share of the burden.   

Next episode, we'll return for part two of the Flint Water Crisis, where we get right into the raw public and political reaction. The protesters boldly waving bottles of orange water, , and the spotlight shining squarely on Governor Snyder as he faces criminal trial, [00:11:00] while everyone else slips by.

It's a no holds barred look at a system that tried to spin the truth. Until then. Thank you for listening.