Vietnam War: Who was right about what went wrong – and why it matters in Afghanistan

"A Fool lies here who tries to hustle the east" a Kipling quote that I have found applies very aptly to this post.

Okay PO1 Tony Holland The article has strengths and weaknesses.
I have a much higher opinion of the views of Arthur Schlesinger than Pentagon Paper authors Daniel Ellsberg and Leslie Gelb views.
Here is an unclassified comparison between operations and the environment of Vietnam and Afghanistan..
1. Terrain
a. Afghanistan is a land-locked nation which has been fought over and conquered at times since Alexander the Great. In the 19th century Britain fought there and in the 20th century the USSR did.
b. Vietnam is a country with a long sea coast and different ethnic groups including Montagnards
2. Alliances with us
a. In WWII Ho chi Mihn was our ally against the Japanese but when we refused to help him get freedom from the French colonial masters he became our determined enemy.
b. In the Afghan-Soviet war of the 1980s Osama bin laden was one of the Mujahideen we courted and supported. That relationship soured in the next decade and he became our implacable enemy.
3. Assault on this nation
a. Vietnam waged a propaganda war on this nation in the 1960s and 1970s which was incredibly effective
b. al Qaeda launched a deadly attack on 9-11-2001 planned from Afghanistan. The propaganda efforts are focused on recruiting more than changing our collective minds.
4. Relations with neighbors
a. Vietnam had sometimes hostile nations to the north [China] and varying relations with Cambodia and Laos which booth turned Communist for a time. Vietnam has had a central government which is strong.
b. Afghanistan has long been a smuggling route from west to east and back - Iran to Pakistan an south Asia. The Taliban operate in Afghanistan and in the northwest territories of Pakistan. Afghanistan has not had a strong central government. Rather warlords control regions.
5. Drug production and export.
a. Heroin and opium have been exported from Vietnam
b. Heroin and opium have been exported from Afghanistan
6. infiltrators
a. Vietnam had many VC infiltrators who gathered information and fought in pitched battles at other times. Rarely did the Vietnamese service members we fought alongside execute blue on green attacks.
b. Afghanistan has periodically had the security forces compromised so that blue on green attacks occurred.
7. Twitter did not exist in the Vietnam War and neither did cell phones of personal computers including laptops and tablets.
8. Afghanistan in the 21st century has a younger class which has some interest in breaking away from feudalism which the warlords and many elders prefer the old ways.
9. Suicide/homicide bombing was not a major factor in Vietnam. Certainly waves of soldiers assaulted but they did it openly
10. the Muslim faith is a driving factor in Afghanistan conflict along with greed which is in keeping with a largely feudal culture.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Wayne Brandon Maj William W. "Bill" Price Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown 1stSgt Eugene Harless SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Robert Ruck SP5 Mark Kuzinski SrA Christopher Wright SGT Robert George CPL Eric Escasio SPC (Join to see) MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see)

I should check Rally Point first. I just posted this article myself. Interesting article don't you think?