As in Iraq, the South Vietnamese army didn't have quite the same agenda as the US. Iraqification ain't gonna work, those guys aren't interested in dying for al-Maliki and Halliburton.

The North Vietnamese were fighting against foreign domination. They had fought the Chinese, the French (American stand-ins) and the Americans. They would have continued fighting no matter what. Against anyone.

The South Vietnamese government was a puppet regime. There had been negotiations for a referendum across the country for unification, the South with US support refused to allow the referendum to happen as they would have lost.

And Vietnam was, more or less, a single country, without large religious or racial factions. There were some, but smaller tribes. When the US got out, the country held together.

As in Iraq, there were badguy "moles" everywhere. There was precious little the US did that the badguys didn't know about. And the US acted the same way over there as in Iraq. Very little fire discipline, shot up civilians with impunity. Any thought of "hearts and minds" was erased by frustration and despair over never knowing who, what or where the enemy was unless you were in a bunker. The kid begging for candy during the day could be planting a mine at night. That wears. The guy smiling at you in a barber shop, accepting a tip very graciously, was telling Charlie everything he heard and saw. And may well have been Charlie. The maid cleaning the hooch and shining your shoes was probably sleeping with Charlie. You had to watch your back, sides and front, knowing you could never trust. Ever. Hard on one's psyche.

The North Vietnamese had a cause. The South Vietnamese were fighting at the end to save their own hides, not for an ideal. Having sided with the Americans they knew they would be treated harshly, as losers often are. And they were. But not forever.

Same in Iraq, except that it's not a unified country. The US promised the Turks they would not allow a separate Kurd state, that's gonna happen. The Saudis foretold of a war stretching across the Middle East, and if they insert troops into Iraq that's starting. The Jordanians told of three separate wars, that's on it's way.

When Vietnam was over, it was over. When Iraq is over, it's just starting.

All because of an illegal, immoral invasion by True Believers for the benefit of Halliburton. It's about money. It's always about money.

Arf