"Iran – America's Vietnam?" Topic

I came across this opinion piece arguing that there are parallels between Vietnam and the current Iran conflict:

link

Similarities Between the US–Iran War and the US–Vietnam War

The author suggests that wars of attrition, political pressure at home, and the difficulty of imposing regime change make the comparison worth considering.

Do you think there are genuine strategic parallels or is the comparison superficial? If Vietnam isn't the best historical analogy, what conflict would you compare it with instead?

I didn't read the article but surely it's drawing a long bow. Not many similarities between the two wars that I can see. (Other than a US failure to achieve its objectives).

In that both have a "tar baby" effect, they are similar.
The Usual Suspects are already howling "Hit them again! Harder! Harder!"
It's not like "The Art of the Deal" dealing with rival real estate moguls or unions.
It doesn't help either when the "victory condition" change almost weekly.

From reading headlines on Drudge, public support for the war is way below 30%. Probably 25% suffer from TDS. I'll take that hit.
And it was never close to 50%.

"Kill them.. Kill them all!"

For me, the jury is still out but note: no one is claiming an exact similarity but more like some shared features.

Lessons learnt, and all that.

Vietnam War had better music

Maybe – but not the way you think.

I have a Vietnamese-American friend who escaped as a child after 1975. His father was an ARVN infantry officer on a communist death list. They lost family members, endured pirate attacks and horrors at sea as "boat people," and spent years in refugee camps before reaching the U.S. His story isn't unique — it represents millions who suffered because of how the war ended. Here's the key point: By the early 1970s, the U.S. had largely Vietnamized the war. South Vietnam, with American logistics, financial support, and airpower, was holding its own against the North. The ARVN fought credibly in the 1972 Easter Offensive (with U.S. air support). It wasn't perfect — corruption and leadership issues existed — but with consistent resupply, South Vietnam was defending itself.

WE WON THE VIETNAM WAR. With US help, South Vietnam was stablizing and able to handle itself.

And then the Democrats LOST THE VIETNAM WAR ON PURPOSE!

The "anti-War" Democrats swept into Congress and took over. Aid was slashed dramatically. The Case-Church Amendment and other measures blocked U.S. re-intervention, munitions and logistics support and even suppressed intel sharing. Meanwhile, the North was being massively re-armed by the USSR and China. In 1975, they launched a full mechanized invasion — tanks, APCs, artillery, supported by aircraft – attack jets flown not just by North Vietnamese pilots, but also Soviet pilots. Isolated ARVN units ran out of ammo, fuel, and spare parts. No U.S. air support. No intel. Nothing.

The Democrats cut South Vietnam off at the knees.

Saigon fell in weeks. What followed: re-education camps, executions, the boat people exodus, and the Killing Fields in Cambodia.

FOUR MILLION DEAD! SIX MILLION REFUGEES! A horror show. And all avoidable, all caused by the tragically awful ideological decisions of the Democrats of the day.

The lesson isn't "Vietnam was unwinnable." It's that an imperfect but holding position was turned into total defeat by domestic politics and severed support.

Fast-forward to today's talk about Iran. If we're confronting Iranian proxies, nuclear ambitions, or regional aggression, the same risk applies. If anti-war, isolationist voices (especially those prioritizing domestic politics over consistent foreign policy) dominate after November 2026, we could see the same pattern: initial pressure or support for partners, followed by abrupt cuts when the political winds shift. Many of the new "antiwar" Democrats are extremely anti-Israel (and I would argue, many are anti-Jewish) and want to cut Israel off at the knees while sending support to Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

Going one better than the 1970s anti-War Democrats -- they cut off aid to South Vietnam, but at least they didn't send aid to North Vietnam!

Adversaries like Iran (and its backers) are watching our staying power. Signaling weakness or abandonment doesn't lead to peace — it invites aggression and humanitarian disasters. We don't need forever wars. But we do need consistent strategy, realistic goals, and reliable support for allies so today's "imperfect victory" doesn't become tomorrow's horrific defeat.

+100 dogtail

LOL

One difference:

Virgin Goats, Camels and sheep in paradise, did not live in petrified fear at the death of each Vietnamese soldier.

YouTube link

YouTube link

YouTube link (classic!)

And my favourite:

YouTube link NSFW BTW

Agreed – the Iran War doesn't, inexplicably, have any good anti-war songs. Where's 2026's answer to Country Joe?

Not inexplicable given the state of today's pop music. But I've had "We Gotta Get Outta This Place" in my head for weeks.

Nixon and Kissinger and the bombing of Cambodia….not one of our better plans, from what I have read, as many as 100,000 civilian casualties and the rise of the Khmer Rouge. Nixon's "madman theory" …acting like a crazy leader who might go ballistic.

You can bomb the hell out of civilians and not get anywhere. What should we hit next in Iran?

YouTube link

Totally in one way --- unwilling to invade.

Russ Dunaway
USMC Vietnam veteran -- 1967-1971

I think they are similar in that both wars show a limit to power. Clearly the US is the more powerful nation and has the strongest military just as in Vietnam. But Iran is not fighting a straight up battle with the US and neither did the NVA and VC.

Do you want songs? I have them!

An AI video for a Russian folk song (author unknown) from the Vietnam War period – "Phantom." Translation included:

link

I'm running across the scorched earth,
Closing the helmet on the move.
My Phantom, like a swift arrow,
In the sky, blue and clear,
Gains altitude with a roar.

I see the azure distance
It's a shame to disturb it
It's a shame you can't see it,
Our path is difficult and long
My Phantom is racing east

I make a left turn
I'm an executioner now, not a pilot
Bending over the sight,
And the missiles rush toward the target
I make another approach

I see a white line in the sky
My Phantom is losing altitude
A catapult is salvation,
And on slings into the trees
Into this jungle I'll simply fall

As soon as I landed, at that very moment
From the bushes came the sound a wild scream
Half-naked Vietnamese
Squealing all around like rabbits
I fell to the ground and hid

I'm walking on this cursed land
No helmet on my head
The barrel of a machine gun from behind
Soldiers are poking me in the back
My life hangs by a thread

I asked him one question
"Who was the pilot who shot me down?"
And the slanted one answered
Who commanded the interrogation:
"Our pilot, Li Si Tsin, shot you down" (a play on words; if you remove the spaces in the name, you get the common Russian surname Lisitsyn)

It's you, Vietnamese, who are lying in vain
On the air, I clearly heard (in Russian):
"Lyokha, press, and I'll cover you!"
"Vanya, shoot, and I'll cover your tail!"
Russian ace Ivan shot me down.

In the States, I'm sitting in a flight bar.
Drinking whiskey and looking at the guys.
My Phantom, like a pile of junk,
In the jungles of South Vietnam,
Will never see the sky again…

Grattan54, an equal fight is fought against an equal opponent)))