Word: dominos
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With Cambodia going down the drain, four provinces of South Viet Nam lost [March 24], Thailand turning neutralist and the Philippines re-examining its commitments, where are the great sages now who ridiculed the domino effect? Where are you now, Sevareid, Cronkite, Chancellor, Brinkley, Reasoner, Newsweek, TIME? Let's hear it for the media party line and adversary mischiefism...
...essential to the U.S. than others does not mean that countries elsewhere are cast into outer darkness as far as the U.S. is concerned. There are many kinds of relations short of serious commitment and many degrees of importance. In general, the U.S. should stop regarding the world in domino terms, not only because the image implies an automatic chain of cause and effect that is unreal but also because it poses a simplistic choice between a country that "stands" and a country that "falls." The real world is far more complex than that...
Similar thoughts were expressed last week by President Ford. To support economic aid, Ford revived the much-belabored "domino theory" of falling nations. "If we have one country after another-allies of the United States -losing faith in our word, losing faith in our agreements with them, yes, I think the first one to go could vitally affect the national security of the United States," he insisted. He also warned against a "new isolationism" among Americans. "We are counseled to withdraw from the world and go it alone," he said. "I have heard that song before. I am not going...
American military aid has been largely responsible for stoking the fires of violence and death in Indochina: over $112 billion and 55,000 Americans were lost in Vietnam alone. And now, while President Ford continues to invoke the domino theory as justification for more money for more bloodshed in Vietnam and Cambodia, all indicators clearly show that Congress is prepared to make the final withdrawal of U.S. commitments in Indochina. In the past two weeks it has become apparent that Congress is going to reject Ford's proposal for military aid--$222 million to Cambodia and $300 million to Vietnam...
Despite its recent brief reappearance, the "domino theory" is not a sensible base for U.S. policy; if taken seriously and literally, it might well mean sending U.S. troops back into Indochina sooner or later. The dominoes immediately adjoining Viet Nam may well fall to Communism if the present Saigon government collapses, though what kind of Communism, with what admixture of neutralism or nationalism, is far from clear. Strategically, this would not matter very much to the U.S. The more remote dominoes that do matter-Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines-would probably not be seriously affected (see box page...