Iraq and Vietnam - Twin Wars?

The 1960's had an influential aura that affected people, countries and politics. It was the beginning of the Vietnam War, a time where United States politics were at an all time low. Could it be possible that the same strategy is being used presently in Iraq? Iraq is America's new battlefront and has often been dubbed "George Bush's Vietnam". The similarities are shocking and an explanation is crucial. The war in Iraq has a revealing correspondence to Vietnam in three distinct ways; reasons for entry, the fighting conditions, and the long term affects on veterans that both wars share. With a good understanding of each war, several similarities may show more clearly.

The reasons for the United States entering these wars are somewhat similar. Vietnam was part of a plan to stop the "Domino Effect" and halt the spread of communism in the East before it eventually spread elsewhere. The Golf of Tonkin incident was an "acceptable" reason for the Green Berets of the U.S. to enter North Vietnam. An American battleship was supposedly "attacked" by ground forces, but later on, was found out that this claim, brought by the United States Army, was false. The situation in Iraq began with American intelligence allegedly discovering weapons of mass destruction. This could easily be connected with the incident at the Golf of Tonkin, because it was used as a valid reason for military action in the region. As it turns out, there weren't nuclear arms in Iraq which is also like the claim that the attack on a U.S. battleship was a fake. Referring back to the prevention of communism, the United States also entered Iraq to diffuse terroristic activities. The connection between the two conflicts is along the lines of interfering with an undesired government that would jeopardize the security of the Allied countries. These two wars both have dramatic beginnings in order to incite a military reaction.