/biz/ - Business & Finance

>>28060354
Well well

We're gonna make it

>>18305659
France was going to destroy NATO. They were saying, "the Americans have armies in Europe, but they don't have cities in Europe". The French were pushing the prediction that when the Red Army invades, the Americans will cut and run. They wanted Europe to leave NATO, so that they'd have more negotiating autonomy, and therefore be able to make a side-deal with the Soviets (not a full-on unconditional surrender, but a disadvantageous peace treaty).

The entire reason to fight the Vietnam War was to prove to the Europeans that the USA was willing to spend a hell of a lot of blood and treasure, purely for the sake of a flimsy security agreement made with an unimportant ally; even if it was not in USA's direct interest in any way (South Vietnam had nothing of value to the US to defend. It was purely about making a point to the Europeans). The implication was, "If we Americans are willing to do all of this for rinky-dink little South Vietnam, imagine what we'd do for actually strategically/economically important allies like you Europeans. We'd move heaven-and-Earth if it came to it". Letting South Vietnam after the peace was also part of the message. "You've got to keep your shit together and fight as well. If you're as corrupt, incompetent, infiltrated, and internally divided as South Vietnam; we won't carry you forever."

The Domino Theory was US propaganda. Shining such a huge spotlight on Europe's ambivalence about NATO would have been bad for NATO, so the US couldn't be so direct in its messaging.

It worked, and NATO was saved for the duration of the Cold War.