Yeah I have floated it elsewhere as a worse strategic defeat than Vietnam, if it sticks. Cheaper, less damaging at home, but man - freedom of trade and navigation is supposed to be a vital interest for us? Right? And we're punting on it after WE started the war. Beyond embarrassing.

April 08, 2026 - 01:40 UTC

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Vietnam was not a strategic defeat - it was a tactical loss. Vietnam literally has a saying "we fought the American's for 10 years, the French for 100, and the Chinese for 1000". They are our strategic partners in the region.
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No, Vietnam was a strategic defeat. US was humiliated and diminished for a decade.
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Yeah that is kinda my point - like everyone remembers Vietnam as this awful humiliation for the US, and no mistake we did get humbled pretty bad, but our vital national interests were not seriously harmed by the loss. As evidence, ah, we won the Cold War and Vietnam is now friendly ish.
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My big worry is that China will take this as a green light to go all in on the Nine Dash Line.
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The Chinese are (probably) taking this as evidence that we won't fight. I'm not sure they are right but the message we are sending is, no amount of economic damage is tolerable to us.
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