Here is my ISIS strategy in a nutshell.

[ieoeja]

18. North Koreans?

We only left North Korea because MacArthur ordered it so he could drop the bomb after UN troops left. Fortunately, the Pacific Theater SAC commander refused to drop the bomb because he did not believe MacArthur's claim that he had authority "lying around here somewhere".


As to Vietnam, the Navy/Marines have won wars identical to Vietnam dozens of times during the previous century. The differences are: (1) North Vietnam had the backing of major outside forces, and (2) the US Army (at McNamara's insistence) led the war instead of the Navy/Marines. The USA thought they could win the war. The Navy/Marines won all those previous wars by NOT winning the war. They HELPED an indigent force win the war instead.

People forget: South Vietnamese capitalists fought the French just as hard as North Vietnamese communists. In fact, far more Vietnamese moved north to south than south to north when the country was granted split independance. The north still maintained numerical superiority. But most people do not want to leave their homes. Those committed to leaving their homes overwhelming supported the south over the north.

The early Communist successes resulted from what happened after the Japanese retreated to their barracks. The war was over, and Japanese troops were waiting to be taken home. Communist elements of the Vietnamese resistance took over the government. Non-communist elements took over the businesses. The various Communist factions then started fighting among themselves. Then the British arrived and kicked the Communists out of the government. And handed the Michellin plantations back to their previous French owners.

Neither group of Vietnamese wanted to return to pre-WWII status quo under the French. The Communists decided to meet and work out their differences so they would not repeat the post-Japanese debacle. Ho Chi Minh, heir to the King who hired the French to come in and conquer his enemies in the first place (another thing few people realize) solved the problem in the age-old way such disputes are settled: he killed all his rivals.

As a result, when the Brits handed control back to the French, the Communists were consolidated while the non-Communist native forces were still split. When the combined Vietnamese got the French to call it quits, the North was united while the South began fighting amonst themselves. Diem did come out on top, and was every bit Ho Chi Minh's equal. But he began oppressing the religious majority opening up cracks for Ho to utilize. Diem had to go.

The CIA took care of that.

Maybe, another veteran leader of the anti-French resistance would have taken reins. But nobody was given a chance. Instead, there came the US Army with their "we can win this ourselves" stratgey that married perfectly with McNamara's "we need to prove to the Communists we are willing to fight" strategy. The Navy/Marine "protect the borders; let ARVN handle the interior" strategy that had proven itself in dozens of wars over the previous century was discarded.

And the rest is (disputed) history.