The Mistake of the Domino Theory Repeated Today?

The Domino Theory was first developed under President Eisenhower. The theory states that, if the first domino is knocked over, the rest will fall in turn. Eisenhower applied this theory to South-East Asia and argued that if South Vietnam was taken by communists, then the other surrounding countries in the region would follow, such as Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The Domino Theory was accepted and used by Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lynden Johnson, and Richard Nixon. It was the main justification for sending troops to fight in Vietnam. The politicians placed fear into the public by not only justifying the theory but convincing Americans that if not stopped, the Asian communism would be fought on our doorstep. As a result of this, 58,183 American soldiers died in Vietnam, about 1.3 million Vietnamese soldiers died, and 4 million Vietnamese civilians were killed or wounded. Today, people are still dying as a result of the chemical warfare used there, and it cost the American tax payers in a total of about 165 billion dollars.

It can be argued that the Domino Theory was developed primarily for convincing and frightening the public to support the war, because most Americans wanted to avoid communism at all costs. Today, it is hard to believe that any politician at that time believed this theory. Despite that fact, it appears that the theory was once again used recently and erupted from the Bush Doctrine. Just like the Domino Theory, President George W. Bush played on the fear of the public, due to the September 11^th tragedy. He exaggerated the threat of Iraq on the U.S., like Eisenhower did in the past with Vietnam. Eisenhower threatened that communism would spread to our country, especially Hawaii and Bush warned American citizens that terrorists would strike on American soil. Both of these past Presidents used this aggressive theory not simply to contain the enemy, but to justify strikes to swiftly defeat the enemy. The unbelievable, is that once again, the public has seemed to buy into without remembering our past history on this concept. The “non-thinking” media driven, self absorbed, Americans have seem to have seem to once again make the same mistake. The Bush Doctrine has once again divided the world into good and evil and endorsed the “either you or with us or you are terrorists” as told to Congress on September 20^th, 2001 by Bush. We now have our domino theory to justify our war strategy.

It has become clear to me that we will once again not learn from our mistakes. It is thirty years since American troops were forced to retreat and escape Vietnam. Was the Domino Theory correct? Did the other countries fall to communism when America retreated? Vietnam is still under communist control; however the surrounding countries mentioned by Presidents did not fall to communism. Despite the fact that Vietnamese is communistic, it has pursued a capitalistic economy. The Vietnamese people seem to be very satisfied their government today. At the end of the war, 85% of people living in Vietnam lived in poverty. Today, that figure is about 15%.

Today most Americans regret our involvement in Vietnam, yet once again have embraced the same theory. Like Vietnam, I fear that the outcome of the Middle East War that is present today will follow the same footsteps. The Domino Theory today as in the past shows no awareness of the history, culture, and politics of other nations. The Domino Theory of today may result in only one domino falling, and unfortunately it may be us.

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