News Tip: Public Support for War in Iraq Parallels U.S. Experience in Vietnam
Historian Alex Roland says that past experience indicates that the American people will support war as long as they can be convinced it is necessary
Friday, March 14, 2003
While most of the rhetoric about the Vietnam War came from people at extreme ends of the political spectrum, public opinion at the time reflected a more ambiguous attitude about the war, according to a Duke history professor who has studied the era.
That experience parallels the current situation, as the Bush administration seeks to garner public support for an attack on Iraq, said military historian Alex Roland, who served in Vietnam while in the Marine Corps.
'For most Americans, American involvement in Vietnam was and still is ambiguous. That is, it's not clear what the right answer should have been,' he said. 'I think we're in pretty much the same situation now. Americans support the use of force in Iraq if necessary, but without much enthusiasm and with the qualification that many favor it only if we have significant support from allies.'
The latest New York Times/CBS News Poll found that 55 percent of respondents would support an American invasion of Iraq, even if it was in defiance of a vote of the UN Security Council. But a majority, 52 percent, said weapons inspectors should be given more time.
During the Vietnam era, Roland said, public opinion shifted from slightly in favor of the war through the 1968 Tet Offensive, then turned slightly against the war.
'The reason for opposition for many people became simply the perception that we weren't winning or couldn't win. It wasn't as strong as if the scales had dropped from their eyes and they thought this was a bad idea.'
Research on public opinion since the Vietnam War has
consistently shown that Americans are willing to use military force
abroad and even tolerate significant American casualties if they
can be convinced it's necessary. But that support softens when the
need for war is less clear, he said.
Roland, who is currently teaching a course called 'The Meaning of
Vietnam,' graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1966 and was
commissioned in the Marine Corps and served a tour in
Vietnam.
He can be reached for further comment at (919) 684-2758 or by
e-mail at aroland@duke.edu.
For a complete list of Duke experts on the threat of war with Iraq, click here
