Anyone For Dominoes,
Abstract
The Malaguez incident restored our confidence and gave a much needed signal to the world that America is not a paper tiger. Nevertheless, the incident has had an important negative influence which should be corrected at the earliest possible moment: the ensuing wave of satisfaction has forestalled a badly needed debate on foreign policy and the type of armed forces needed to support it. The fall of Vietnam shows, in a basic sense, that the assumption that all communism is Russian dominated is now, if not false, highly suspect. The Helsinki Conference is the last act; we now accept the fait accompli which we have tried to circumvent since the end of World War II with the policy of containment. These two events are watersheds in history which we should, if we are strong, seize upon as an opportunity to learn to regroup, to redistribute our resources, and to take our proper place as a leader in a changing world situation. That changing situation is hard to define, but we ought to recognize an incipient world-wide domino theory when we see it. Unless we take positive action, country by country, we will find ourselves unwelcome--Thailand and Turkey are prime examples. The inevitable consequence is that concepts which we have taken for granted such as freedom to trade, freedom to travel, and freedom to expose our ideas will be severely markedly delimited. We should immediately begin a debate which includes three major categories: alliances, military forces, and strategy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1975
- Accession Number
- ADA019927
Entities
People
- James H. Hayes