7/31/2016

The Domino Theory – A different narrative




Donald Trump’s campaign war cry is to make America great again. This statement is an acknowledgement and admission that America is no longer the great America of yesterday. America’s status and reputation as the great or greatest nation on earth has taken a severe beating and is now only a shadow of its past. It is now a big quest to want to make America great again.

The peak of American power was at the end of WW2 when it triumphed over Germany/Italy and the Japanese Axis powers. America was the undisputed world Number One superpower. The Soviet Union was a close second while the rest of the European powers were as good as bankrupt after the war. There was world peace but not for long. America must have an enemy and Communism led by Russia, its war ally, became enemy Number One.  The war allies soon broke apart with The USSR leading the communist camp and the victory of communist in China. China was the next big communist country, followed by Vietnam and North Korea.

Vietnam was a missed opportunity screwed up by western treachery. Ho Chi Minh was a nationalist though embracing communism. He led his Viet Minh in his fight for independence for Vietnam. But he was played out by the western allies. The Allies took control of Vietnam from the Japanese and duly released the French locked up in the prison by the Japanese to continue its colonial rule of Indochina with Ho Chi Minh and his Viet Minh left out in the cold.  Ho Chi Minh turned to the USSR and the Vietcong was formed to fight the French and subsequently the Americans. Vietnam was divided with the communist in the north just like in the Korean Peninsula.

The Americans fought its first war against the communist in Korea, driving the North Koreans who had almost conquered the whole of Korea, from Pusan back to the Yalu River. The Americans had de facto control of the whole of Korean. The supremacy of the American forces was unmatched until the Chinese sent in their peasant volunteered armies to drive the Americans back to the 38 parallel, and to a military stalemate. This was a rude shock to the American war machine, but they nonetheless claimed victory over the North Koreans. Half a victory was still as good as none.

The Korean War tested the American supremacy but did not damage its Number One superpower status. The North Korea was another country that had gone communist and thus creating the feared Domino Theory that dominated American policies in Asia for more than half a century in the era of Cold War. The USA did all it could to contain the spread of communism in Asia and fought the Vietnam War till it was defeated in 1975.

The defeat of the Americans in Vietnam threw SE Asia in disarray. It was panic station in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. The Vietnamese had marched into Laos and Cambodia and were at the Thai border. No one had the army to take on the battle hardened and war tested Vietnamese Army. Two more dominoes fell in Laos and Cambodia with Thailand at the brink of falling into Vietnamese hands.

The calls for help from the Americans fell on deaf ears. The Americans had no more appetite to fight a ground war in Asia. They were wallowing in self pity. The Number One superpower was no longer like what it was before.  Vietnam was the watershed that saw the waning fortune of the American Empire.

The Domino Theory was becoming a reality and the Americans were not there to stop the falls any more. Asean countries were desperate and in fear and needed help and turned to arch enemy in communist China to stop Vietnam, and to prevent the Domino Theory from becoming a stark reality.
China obliged, told the Vietnamese to pull out of Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam refused, Deng Xiao Ping sent in his PLA, bashed into North Vietnam and taught the Vietnamese a bitter lesson, not to mess around with China. China was no USA. The Vietnamese subsequently pulled out from Laos and Cambodia and Thailand and Asean was safe. Yes, China was the knight in shining armour that defeated the Vietnamese and saved Thailand and Asean, not the USA.

The West and their pride could not take this insult. How could China defeat the Vietnamese when the latter defeated the world Number One super power? So they went on a rage publishing articles that China was given a lesson by the Vietnamese. If their story was true, the Domino Theory would have realized to its fullest and Thailand and Asean would have been under communist regimes today. But many fools are still sticking to the story that Vietnam taught China a lesson and Asean was saved from communism, from the mighty Vietnamese Army by the Americans, that ran away and making a comeback today in its pivot to Asia and trying to make love with Vietnam to compensate for destroying that country. And some ungrateful Asean countries have forgotten who saved them from the jaws of the Vietnamese Army, to become fallen dominoes.

The Americans’attempt to defeat communism, to stop the Domino Theory from becoming a reality ended in 1975 when they were driven out of Vietnam.  It was left to China to do the necessary The rest is history. I walked through the history books of those days.

Now that the ungrateful Asean countries have turned against China, it would be interesting to know what would be their fate if China had not answered their plea for help but instead backed Vietnam’s expansion into Laos and Cambodia and make the Domino Theory a reality? Would Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore be communist states today and be part of the communist camp? Who bought time and security to these 3 states after the Americans fled Southeast Asia? Who was there to stand up to the Vietnamese when there was no Americans around?

29 comments:

  1. Oh Asean remembers their history.

    They remember it was China that supported the Khmer Rogue that butchered Cambodia. They remembered it was China that sponsored Communist terrorists in Malaya and the rest of Asean until Deng stopped it during his reforms.

    Vietnam certainly does. They remember how they were forced to eat Chinese for hundreds of years and they had to evict them twice.

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  2. Politicians are all for themselves. Many young and inexperienced in running economy would demand multiple millions dollars as advance payment to their services, a question marks on delivery. Some dont even need to fight for their power with convincing ideology. Ideology like communism is not created for tyranny to rule a state. It propagates equal sharing of wealth created in the overall economy. China s communism in the present form is far better than US s wealth creation. China has full employment as a fact. US has 94millions jobless men and women. That s where daily shooting of policemen and policemen shooting certain color men by default. My guess is: if these men being shot were wearing suits sitting on private saloons, what on earth to trigger at them?
    The US is waning in power based on the fact that its owes a communist country USD 1.3 trillions dollars. If this communist country refuse to help to support the lavish spending of US, US will have to turn to tightening belts to survive its expenses on township.
    Donald Trump has been correct. US cannot spend lavishly on arms and wars while borrowing from its rivalry country to fight that country. Its laughable to me. How US can succeed to fight directly with China. Financially, it will suffer when China sells all its US bonds on its own very market, so called free market.

    The rest of countries in asia are simply poor. Japan is the worst of all, it has 220% public debt, 2 times its gdp in size. Japan can hardly go to war with China with its current state of hardware. The other countries like Philippines,S Korea, Malaysia, Singapore are pro US. Their exports have no significance to China. I guess China will leave them alone to deal with US playing war games for next decade.

    What can US do when Hillary come in? I think nothing can be done. Hillary is 8 years late. China has grown so much that she best to have a review of her old "pivote to asia" before she blast out her words as president.

    China side is quietly getting away from direct confrontation with US. This is my observation. China will not bother much with South east asia ocean islands, including Singapore. It will focus on mainland countries like Cambodia, probably N Korea to forge alliance against US. UK will not be so easily put into war with China. So China will be safe by going through rail route to trade with Germany and Russia.

    We can see the clear diversification of China s trade. It needs Australia, and bought a Darwin port for resources. And China bought ports along Pakis, and Europe. China is avoiding the Straits of Malacca, and aim to keep South China sea islands, which belong to China.

    China will ignore Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines eventually when its trades are boosted with the main land routes between Germany and China.
    China s plan was simple: avoiding war with US and its allies. If these countries want to have war, China will give them missiles, including US carriers. This message was made by PLA generals, who told US to send 11 carriers.
    The China media called US yai qan zong kan, outside looks strong, inside is empty and dry up. US is like a dying tree trunk. This is true in current state.

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  3. The only Domino theory that matters to Singaporeans:
    WP ---> Hougang SMC ---> Aljunied GRC ---> Punggol East SMC --->

    Unfortunately, this domino chain got broken at Punggol East.
    Singaporeans can go back to driving taxis and being PAP slaves.

    Yum. Calvin Cheng's dick taste so good.

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  4. "The Americans had no more appetite to fight a ground war in Asia."
    RB

    Tiok. Sinkies also had no more appetite to fight and replace PAP as govt. And if such a fierce and motivated fighter like Chee Soon Juan also cannot win even in a by election, who can win?

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  5. Vietnam War is history of last century. Today's war is all about America's invasion of Iraq/Syria and America's proxy ISIS/Alqaida.

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  6. Singaporeans can go back to driving taxis and being PAP slaves.
    Anon 11:12 am

    Tiok. But maybe they also think if the opposition become govt, they will also continue to drive taxis? The opposition is not even ready to be govt, so how to be ready to help Sinkies, u tell me lah?

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  7. Yes if u view almost all the articles in Internet and video on u tube, it concluded that the China Vietnam war, China was taught a lesson by the Vietnamese and suffer a humiliated defeat. There are also new articles that if China attempt a second war now, China will be sorry as Vietnam is now very strong. In fact most articles stated that in the war, Vietnam only use border troops and militia only against the Chinese regular Army and did not even use their regular troops and China already suffered a defeat.

    If that is so I think Vietnam should start a second war to teach China a lesson instead of complaint all the time that they got bully by China. Tio bo?

    As for Singapore we really no choice but to support USA cause we need USA protection against Indonesia and Malaysia cause those two would not dare to move against us if USA watching our back. Our SAF role is psychological only. How on earth a 5 million population can fight Indonesia 239 million country if they want to launch a full scale assault on us. They can send 20 million soildiers to land on our shore and drown us with their piss lar.

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  8. I always though Vietnam War was a bitter defeat for US the way Afghan War in 1980s was a bitter defeat to USSR. Since when has Viet War been linked to China's defeat or victory?

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  9. sobs in washington is directing an 'eight nations alliance' mark2, in fact its an 'upgrade', they'r trying to drag in the fucking nato itself , the frenchies and the germans.

    meanwhile looks like 'somebody' is trying to orchestrate a 1965 redux in indon....
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsTlolRDK6E

    no prize guessing who's that 'somebody',
    hehehe

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  10. Our SAF role is psychological only.
    Anon 11:28 am

    Very tiok. And male Sinkies have to pay 2 years of the life with it, losing out to females and foreigners.

    Fair or not, u say lah?

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  11. Hermit
    The China Vietnam war refers to the border war that lasted about a month in 1979.

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  12. Our SAF role is psychological only.
    Anon 11:28 am

    Do you think LKY would have trusted the defence of Singapore to be in the hands of Singaporeans and PAP Generals?

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  13. Some posts here are bluffing the young. During Vietnam China war, Chinese troops advanced right into Vietnamese territory.

    Then Chinese troops withdrew back. I dont know which side was considered the winner. During US Vietnam war, US troop withdrew hastily and there were refugees from the pro US vietnamese government rushing to helicopters. I also thought US claimed it was a victory against Ho Chi Ming.

    Vietnam is still weak. In this month, it had a Mic31 accident. Vietnam asked for China s help to trace the missing Mic captain, who was dead in the sea.

    Vietnamese are anti Chinese. Taiwanese have lots of business plants there in Vietnam. They will face the Vietcongs to threaten them to part with fines. Even when they travel on the roads, the policemen will want them to pay "coffee money".

    People who believe the Vietnamese won the Chinese war should go to vietnam to invest their money. I guess Chinese communities should know what will happen.

    Vietnamese are anti chinese, similar to Indon.

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  14. Vietnamese are anti chinese, similar to Indon.
    July 31, 2016 12:58 pm

    What about PAP?
    Are they anti-Singaporeans, similar to Indon and MatLand??

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  15. There is this false idea that Indon, Malaysia are anti-Chinese. Actually there are many more Sinkies who are anti-PRC than Indonesians and Malaysians.

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  16. Anon 1:12pm
    Pap is not anti chinese when the chinese are 18, male. For female, they prefer support foreigners at young age to study here indians and pinoys. Chinese young female must borrow loans.

    Pap is anti whoever above 40 yr old. Pap prefer to take younger than 40s foreigners to take their places.

    So dont be chinese and dont grow older than 40s yr old. Pap will love you all to be here.

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  17. Anon 12:03pm
    Is LKY still around your life?
    U have been chosen. Its time to go with him.
    Honestly i never had a second to recall such person.
    Good luck to u. Time to pack up.

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  18. I go malaysia and indonesia also kena coffee money before ?

    China even more coffee monies , businessman certainly know about china officials corruption practices.

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  19. @ July 31, 2016 2:40 pm
    Another stroke, another domino.
    Yup. Maybe time to join LKY.

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  20. Anon 4:03pm
    Those work with him will have a chance to be taken care by him. But someone did not stay in the exclusive park at orchard road also got calling. Got empty seat with yellow flower this year or not?

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  21. Actually everything is very simple and author did not check facts and use common sense.

    1) How long did US and China stay in vietnam? North and South Pole comparison.

    2) What was the casualty figures from both sides?

    3) After the Korean and Vietnam war, US keeps waging the war around the world. No US pride was hurt.

    4) Vietnamese after US war are excellent guerila fighters. This type of warfare is excellent for defenders and a nightmare for attackers. So you know the end result when China invaded vietnam then? See the Syria, Afgan, Iraq scenarios.... All the same story. Even the israelis can defeat the arabs but can almost suck thumb when dealing with Hamas and Palestine. Mighty soviet also scared of Stingers of taleban those days.

    Can this result be the same if there is a conflict in SCS if the match is only based on Air and Sea?

    5) Do i even need to go on to list the political reasons for US withdrawal from vietnam?

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  22. Malaysia-China Joint Venture - East Coast Rail Link
    RM$60 billion

    http://www.sarawakreport.org/2016/07/outrage-najibs-secret-deal-with-china-to-pay-off-1mdb-and-jho-lows-debts-shock-exclusive/

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  23. if SR is true, then somebody highlight what 仁义道德 is own self cheat own self.

    China is just another old fox. 假仁假义




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  24. USA is the most peaceful country in the world, fighting for peace everyday, 7/24, 365, non stop.

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  25. So,
    can we now all agree that the US is the Most Peace Loving Country in the World?

    Not only is the US found to be peace
    loving by some Sinkies, these Sinkies will claim that the US must be the Most Righteous Nation too.

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  26. I did not quote that.

    But every year more china students are going to US or Europe to study.

    If China so good might as well stay in China. Immigration ( many are family members of top officials ) as well but it's another topic ?

    Definitely US have it's merits.

    How many chinese ( example from South East Asia ? ) go to china study ? What about Taiwan students ?
    Immigration ? Perhaps you like to set an example, starting from you path the wave to migrate to China.

    I think China if want to settle on the 9 dash line issue she must settle Taiwan first. 11 dash line originate from KMT when he was 帮主. Since he was dethroned, void.



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  27. China good right ?

    http://news.dahe.cn/2016/08-02/107258797.html

    Why go Russia ?

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  28. Sorry wrong typo

    Should be pave the wave and not path the wave

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  29. "China will ignore Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines eventually when its trades are boosted with the main land routes between Germany and China.

    China s plan was simple: avoiding war with US and its allies. If these countries want to have war, China will give them missiles, including US carriers. This message was made by PLA generals, who told US to send 11 carriers.

    The China media called US yai qan zong kan, outside looks strong, inside is empty and dry up. US is like a dying tree trunk. This is true in current state."

    True.

    50 years later, will US still exist? How about 500 or 5000 years later? It's much more likely that US is balkanized into small countries within the next 50 years :)

    China will definitely exist in another 50, 500 or 5000 years and more. That's how resilient China is, whether you like it or not :)

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