Defining a just and moral war; now discussing Korea

Brutal nationalistic dictatorship in the south opposed to brutal communist dictatorship in the north. Difference is that the West refused to arm the south whilst the communist block armed the north to the teeth.

Since the war South Korea has undergone a series of military coups but has always eventually returned to a free and prosperous democracy. Meanwhile North Korea is a Stalinist nightmare beyond the dreams of George Orwell, continually wracked by famine which sells arms and drugs to all comers, sponsors terrorism and is both actively seeking weapons of mass destruction AND aiding others in developing them.

I remember reading an interview where an ex-South Vietnamese officer who asked why the West had stood by S. Korea and abandoned South Vietnam? Difference is largely that Korea is a peninsula whereas S Vietnam was bordered by Laos and Cambobdia through which the NVA could always infiltrate the massively border and the Ho Chi Minh trail could supply the VC. Had the conflict been confined only to the breadth of the country as in Korea the Allies would certainly have won. Morever the Korean war was short, two and a half years as opposed to 7 years of allied intervention in Vietnam. And it was easy to define progress, every inch of ground taken northwards was a step closer to victory avoiding the Hamburger Hill style futile victories of Vietnam. Plus no jungle

 

If I could interrupt for a second (if one could actually interrupt a thread) but it might be better just to keep the original thread you created going instead of creating a new one each time. If you PM a mod, they can change the title, and the discussion can continue on from there...

 

For reasons enumerated by Mr44, I'm going to lock this thread, if you think the other thread is ready to shift from Vietnam to Korea, then go ahead and put the same post in that thread and PM either Jabbadabbado or myself to update the title.