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Article: Democracy in Afghanistan is wishful thinking.(OPINION)(Viewpoint essay)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- August 20, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Thomas H. Johnson and M. Chris Mason
Monterey, Calif.; and Washington -- As the world watches today's presidential election in Afghanistan, Americans would do well to ponder the lessons of Vietnam.
The similarities are striking. The Republic of South Vietnam also held elections during the US intervention there, despite an ongoing counterinsurgency. Before American troops got involved, both countries had won upset victories over European powers after a decade of fighting, only to slide into another decade of largely north-south civil war.
As historian Eric Bergerud has noted, the United States lost in Vietnam ultimately not because of its ...