[lbo-talk] Chomsky and History

Michael Hoover hooverm at scc-fl.edu
Thu Aug 25 18:38:15 PDT 2005



>>> furuhashi.1 at osu.edu 08/25/05 4:47 PM >>>
> [Chomsky has long argued that the US didn't really lose the
> Vietnam War, as below. That seems to me correct. --CGE]
>The major goals throughout were to prevent the "virus" of
> "radical nationalism" from "infecting" other reasons (to use the
> terminology that appeals to high planners) by the demonstration > effect of successful development -- the rational version of the
> "domino theory." That goal was achieved.

The way Chomsky reads history, Washington has never lost any war nor anything else for that matter. :-> That's, of course, what the business press want you to think. Apply Chomsky's standard the other way around, though, and what do you see? The maximal goal of the Vietnamese people who fought against the French, Japanese, and Americans couldn't be achieved, but the goal of ending formal colonialism and the civil war was -- quite a victory which continues to elude some peoples (like Afghans, Congolese, Iraqis, Northern Irish, Palestinians, Somalis, etc.) on this planet. In my view, the left and peace movement need to remember our victories, not just defeats. Yoshie Furuhashi <<<<<<>>>>>

if memory serves, gen. westmoreland and some in sds held that u.s. intent in indochina was to prevent eventual loss of subic bay and clark military bases in phillippines because of their strategic importance for u.s in asian pacific... michael hoover

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