Word: vietnam
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...called Vietnam legacy is a potent political tool these days, and Karnow, who makes strong claims to historical objectivity in his book and documentary, must realize that his current educational mission can only work to raise fears about any military involvement abroad...
...least, Karnow finds the public and Congress much more conscious of foreign policy matters today than they were in 1964, when 16,000 military advisors were stationed in Vietnam and the U.S. government was spending half a billion dollars a year on operations there...
...public opinion survey [in 1964] asked the question 'What should we do next in Vietnam?' and 70 percent of the answers were. 'We're not paying attention to it'." Karnow recalled. "Today the opinion polls show far greater interest on the part of the public and much greater caution about involvement, not only in Vietnam, but in other places...
...CASE of Central America, Karnow argues that Vietnam has not made the U.S. public gun shy, but rather more inclined to protect the national interest through non-violent means. It seems, however, that Karnow is underestmating the sway Vietnam holds over the thinking of the 18-25 crowd, which forms a large part of Karnow's lecture-circuit audience...
Karnow probably realizes that the increased awareness about Vietnam--which he obviously finds beneficial for the country--could be channeled into a more explicitly isolationist foreign policy and a butt-headed unwillingness among youth to involve itself in any military enterprise to defend the national interest...