Pick the War that Does Not Fit!

Submitted by Marj Lewis (United States), Jan 1, 2003 at 01:21

I am a bit confused by your statement in this article:

Why do professors consistently misunderstand the most important challenges facing the country, such as the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War and now the war on terror?

At first I thought it was one of those "Choose the item that doesn't fit" questions. I would have picked the Vietnam War, against which I actively protested as a college student and after graduating from college. Maybe this proves your point, but I still don't regard the Vietnam War as essential to our own welfare, security, or even regional interests. Even some of those, e.g. MacNamara, who were proponents of the war in Vietnam later reversed themselves.

While I mostly agree with your premise, I think the inclusion of Vietnam muddied your argument.

Sincerely,

Marj Lewis

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

Daniel Pipes replies:

I included the Vietnam War in this list, even though knowing it would raise arguments, because that was when the adversarial position of the academy began.

DP