In his speech before the Senate Subcommittee on Foreign Relations in April 1971, John Kerry criticizes U.S. intervention in Vietnam. Among other things, he faults U.S. policymakers for perpetuating a Cold War narrative of Vietnam when the Vietnamese people who endure war’s devastation just want to survive and don’t really care about the global contest between “communism” and “democracy.” What do you think of Kerry’s argument?
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Kerry makes a persuasive argument, as he speaks from experience as a Vietnam veteran. By saying “we saw” and “we found,” he makes the atrocities that veterans witnessed more personal. Not only does Kerry assert that the Vietnamese just want to survive and don’t know the difference between democracy and communism, he also states that American men were dying for no reason, as “freedom” in the United States was never directly threatened by opposing forces in Vietnam. Even though horrible atrocities were inflicted upon innocent Vietnamese people, Kerry’s argument is persuasive for his audience because he shows how Americans are negatively being affected by the war. He criticizes how the military perpetuates racism; the highest percentage of American casualties were black, yet the black men were fighting for “freedom” in America where there was still racism and discrimination against minorities. He also criticizes that lack of leadership, and asks where the leaders who sent troops to Vietnam have gone now. He asks these leaders to take the blame for making a mistake in sending men to Vietnam because all the war has done is glorify horrible atrocities and kill thousands of men. He asserts that no one is stepping forward to do so because the U.S. doesn’t want to “lose the war.” I think Kerry makes very valid points, as much of the war in Vietnam revolved around trying to “win” a fight that wasn’t even threatening the U.S. in order to crush communism. Kerry’s statement serves as a wake-up call to the U.S. government, as it shows that that the men sent to war are aware of the hypocrisy in their own government. If the troops and veterans are unsure of why they are fighting and believe they are committing wrongs, then the U.S. government needs to reevaluate its mission.