There are many differences, but the main similarity is the asymmetric warfare that happened in Vietnam and is happening in Iran.
So, while the situation in these wars are different, the reasons for losing the war are similar: because the American military and government don’t understand asymmetric warfare.
I can't agree enough. Vietnam and Iran employed the same strategy -- bypass the US military and strike the US economy, international position, and resolve. And Iran accomplished in four months what took Vietnam nineteen years.
News outlets like to pretend that cessation of further attacks is failure. We started the war with a Tomahawk missile which killed 168 people, more than 100 school children. Destroyed apartments, hospitals, bridges, water supply. Continuing that shit would have been a success? A victory?
Probably more like the initiation of attacks was a failure. Me yielding when getting beaten up by a boxer isn't the mistake. Me starting a fight with one in the first place was.
Defeat was inevitable already when the first missile was sent. No matter if USA sent more or didn't. there was no possible winning strategy. All analysts knew this.
That's just wrong. The war started with great many missiles and bombs some of which did what you claimed. A single missile can only destroy a single thing. And when you remember how many bombs fell a minor amount of collateral and misstargeting is the usual horror of war.
I mean, America likes to destroy civilizations (a country that has Native genocide as its origin story), it's the anti-civ "civ" after all, so I guess it is an American failure. Now, those now left in power in Iran could still sell off the country to Western oligarchs, which would be a victory for America but that's still seemingly undecided.
Not really, because he describes an escalation, which is the third option. As in there are 2 ways to continue the war, status quo or escalation, and the alternative to those is the peace agreement.
Holy fuck I've never seen someone so callously support continuing to kill civilians just to get "a better deal" when it took 3 months of killing civilians and life supporting infrastructure to get to this deal.
TBF this thing didn't last the better part of a decade and a half and cost hundreds of thousands of American lives. The war on "terror" was a better comparison
Been saying since the start: Iran is likely in on all this
IRGC Coup -- The IRGC has LONG been wanting to make a move over the Ayatollah. Now the new Ayatollah is a sockpuppet and the IRGC has completely taken over by way of coup.
Quelled Civil Unrest -- Prior to this conflict, civil unrest in Iran was heavily mounting. Thousands upon thousands out on the street. Now Iranian dissidents hopeful for being rescued were baited out of their homes, only to be slaughtered the first time Trump left them hanging, and the second time Israel and USA suddenly became the new threat and rallied the masses around while also indicating nobody was actually coming to save them from the tyranny within.
Superficial Damage -- Most damage done to Iran has largely been superficial for media optics. Even their nuclear program has largely remained intact.
New Cashflow -- Not only has this massively benefitted Russia with lifted oil sanctions, the IRGC got a massive injection into their own economy, both with the new toll system but also the literal cited fucking article above.
Meanwhile Trump doesn't give a shit. His goal as a Trojan Orange has been a success.
Look, everyone talks about Vietnam… terrible situation, lots of mistakes by the generals, very sad… but what we did with Iran, let me tell you, it makes Vietnam look like an absolute walk in the park. The incompetent leaders in Washington gave us a total disaster with Iran, frankly the worst failure in the history of our country, maybe ever, believe me!
28 Comments
Gladaed@feddit.org · 67 pts · 54d
Iran wasn't a ground operation. And so much shorter. And there was no revolution.
Such a weird comparison.
tempest@lemmy.ca · 19 pts · 54d
Lasts a month costs about half at much of the entire 20 years of the Vietnam war.
In straight monetary values it is probably a bigger loss.
Photonic@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 54d
There are many differences, but the main similarity is the asymmetric warfare that happened in Vietnam and is happening in Iran.
So, while the situation in these wars are different, the reasons for losing the war are similar: because the American military and government don’t understand asymmetric warfare.
2nd_Fermenter@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 53d
I can't agree enough. Vietnam and Iran employed the same strategy -- bypass the US military and strike the US economy, international position, and resolve. And Iran accomplished in four months what took Vietnam nineteen years.
ji59@hilariouschaos.com · 7 pts · 54d
Exactly.
BeardededSquidward@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 5 pts · 54d
The people who would care are the same buffoons who only care about gas prices.
MehBlah@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 53d
Yeah, Thats why. He just rolled over after fucking everyone in the country over first.
workerONE@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 54d
News outlets like to pretend that cessation of further attacks is failure. We started the war with a Tomahawk missile which killed 168 people, more than 100 school children. Destroyed apartments, hospitals, bridges, water supply. Continuing that shit would have been a success? A victory?
TrickDacy@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 54d
I'm pretty sure they're saying trump didn't achieve what he wanted. Mainly because he didn't even know what he wanted.
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 54d
He wanted what Israel wanted and Netanyahu promised, for Iran to collapse completely.
gjoel@programming.dev · 13 pts · 54d
Probably more like the initiation of attacks was a failure. Me yielding when getting beaten up by a boxer isn't the mistake. Me starting a fight with one in the first place was.
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 54d
Defeat was inevitable already when the first missile was sent. No matter if USA sent more or didn't. there was no possible winning strategy. All analysts knew this.
Gladaed@feddit.org · 3 pts · 54d
That's just wrong. The war started with great many missiles and bombs some of which did what you claimed. A single missile can only destroy a single thing. And when you remember how many bombs fell a minor amount of collateral and misstargeting is the usual horror of war.
ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 54d
I mean, America likes to destroy civilizations (a country that has Native genocide as its origin story), it's the anti-civ "civ" after all, so I guess it is an American failure. Now, those now left in power in Iran could still sell off the country to Western oligarchs, which would be a victory for America but that's still seemingly undecided.
Telodzrum@lemmy.world · -3 pts · 54d
You’re presenting a false binary where this MOU and continuing the conflict, as it is, are the only options.
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 54d
Not really, because he describes an escalation, which is the third option. As in there are 2 ways to continue the war, status quo or escalation, and the alternative to those is the peace agreement.
Telodzrum@lemmy.world · -2 pts · 54d
There are other peace agreements available. A continued engagement would be more likely to generate them, too.
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 54d
So you are saying an infinite number of possible peace agreements equals infinite possibilities?
That's not how this works, peace talks is one option, not infinite.
Hacksaw@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 53d
Holy fuck I've never seen someone so callously support continuing to kill civilians just to get "a better deal" when it took 3 months of killing civilians and life supporting infrastructure to get to this deal.
TheStaffmaster@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 54d
TBF this thing didn't last the better part of a decade and a half and cost hundreds of thousands of American lives. The war on "terror" was a better comparison
lennybird@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 53d
(That's the point).
Been saying since the start: Iran is likely in on all this
IRGC Coup -- The IRGC has LONG been wanting to make a move over the Ayatollah. Now the new Ayatollah is a sockpuppet and the IRGC has completely taken over by way of coup.
Quelled Civil Unrest -- Prior to this conflict, civil unrest in Iran was heavily mounting. Thousands upon thousands out on the street. Now Iranian dissidents hopeful for being rescued were baited out of their homes, only to be slaughtered the first time Trump left them hanging, and the second time Israel and USA suddenly became the new threat and rallied the masses around while also indicating nobody was actually coming to save them from the tyranny within.
Superficial Damage -- Most damage done to Iran has largely been superficial for media optics. Even their nuclear program has largely remained intact.
New Cashflow -- Not only has this massively benefitted Russia with lifted oil sanctions, the IRGC got a massive injection into their own economy, both with the new toll system but also the literal cited fucking article above.
Meanwhile Trump doesn't give a shit. His goal as a Trojan Orange has been a success.
billwashere@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 53d
Look, everyone talks about Vietnam… terrible situation, lots of mistakes by the generals, very sad… but what we did with Iran, let me tell you, it makes Vietnam look like an absolute walk in the park. The incompetent leaders in Washington gave us a total disaster with Iran, frankly the worst failure in the history of our country, maybe ever, believe me!
stretch2m@infosec.pub · 3 pts · 53d
This. Isn't. Over. Yet.
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 54d
Paywall 😡
CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 54d
There something wrong with archive. sites or unwall.app?
Just put the article link after unwall.app:
https://unwall.app/foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/16/iran-vietnam-strategy-defeat/
Hm, that seems to still have sign up, but archive.is has whole thing:
https://archive.is/rsAQV
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 54d
Yes I could do that, and try the many different options until I find one that works.
OR!
OP could provide a link that actually works, so everybody didn't have to hunt for it.
Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 53d
Or you could install the removepaywalls.com browser extension and never have this problem again.
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 53d
Thanks 👍
That looks way more useful, I've added the plugin to my browser. 😀
TheStaffmaster@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 54d