US Opinion and Commentary

“VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussion and opinion on these policies.” — VOA Charter

Showing Archived Posts

Moving On in Vietnam, but Remembering Its Lessons

Posted May 24th, 2016 at 11:58 am (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

Looking to the future, we know that mutual interests…will drive our partnership with Vietnam. But it is strengthened, as well, by the natural affinities between our societies. These include family ties, a tendency toward optimism, a fierce desire for freedom and independence and a hard-earned appreciation that peace is far, far preferable to war.

Vietnam and the Obama Legacy of Engagement

Posted May 24th, 2016 at 11:01 am (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

By Barbara Slavin President Barack Obama’s announcement Monday that the United States is lifting practically all restrictions on the provision of weapons to Vietnam caps a remarkable turnabout in relations between the two former adversaries. Four decades after U.S. forces retreated in defeat from a bloody and ill-considered war, the United States is now the […]

Obama’s Triangulation in Vietnam

Posted May 20th, 2016 at 5:21 pm (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

Who would have thought that the United States would consider lifting an arms embargo on Vietnam after fighting a losing war there. And it’s under consideration because Vietnam is concerned about encroachment by a fellow communist country, China, which helped arm the victorious North Vietnamese against the U.S.
Monday’s visit by President Barack Obama marks the third such trip by an American president since diplomatic relations were re-established in 1995.
Weighing heavily on Obama against lifting the 41-year arms embargo is Vietnam’s human rights record. One prominent political prisoner was released Friday. But Vietnam is said to detain the most political prisoners in Southeast Asia. Media is repressed and public protest is subject to crackdown.
Vietnam and the U.S. have a common interest in reversing China’s provocative behavior in the South China Sea. Both countries have common interest in developing stronger trade and cultural ties. Where does human rights fit into the equation?

How Daniel Berrigan Helped Save My Life

Posted May 6th, 2016 at 12:32 pm (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

I had left my church and faith behind, and didn’t even know any Christians were against the war…. But then I heard one name: Berrigan. Daniel and Phillip Berrigan — and the small group of Christian protesters they were inciting — were the only Christians I could see…who were against the war in Vietnam.

Love is a Battlefield

Posted February 12th, 2016 at 2:33 pm (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

Relationships also reveal the power of sunk costs, or past investments that can’t be recovered. Rationally, we should ignore sunk costs and focus on the future. But instead people tend to double down and invest more to justify their earlier sacrifice….The same danger exists in wartime…

President Park Should Publicly Apologize for South Korea’s Sexual Violence in Vietnam

Posted October 14th, 2015 at 11:04 am (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

Forty years ago, Park Chung-hee – the current president’s father and a former general, led over 320,000 of his U.S.-allied troops into the War in Vietnam. Throughout the war, South Korean soldiers violently raped and sexually assaulted thousands of young women, some as young as 13 and 14 years of age.

Why Has America Stopped Winning Wars?

Posted June 2nd, 2015 at 3:15 pm (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

American culture is a victory culture. Coded into the American DNA are the fear of failure and the celebration of winning.