Writer compares Iraq, Vietnam wars

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, historian and distinguished nonfiction author David Halberstam explained the historical correlations between U.S. involvement in Iraq and Vietnam in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater as part of the IU School of Journalism’s speaker series Monday night.\nOne of America’s most respected social and political writers, Halberstam candidly analyzed the historical implications of the Vietnam War and criticized the Bush administration’s failure to avoid a similar foreign policy debacle in Iraq.\nHalberstam’s speech held special significance on an evening that marked the fourth anniversary of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. A handful of audience members held anti-war signs outside of the theater and candles were distributed afterward in observance of a peace vigil.\nSpeaking to a primarily older audience, Halberstam clarified that his message was somber and that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was an incredibly tragic political and cultural miscalculation. He lamented the fact that it now appears as if one of the darkest moments in American history, the Vietnam War, has seemed to repeat itself in the form of Iraq.\n“I can not tell you how painful it is and how much I hoped that we did not have to do this again,” Halberstam said. “I am appalled that the triumvirates who lead this country misread the end of the Cold War to mean that we could militarily act throughout the world without restraints.”\nHalberstam won a Pulitzer Prize for his 1972 novel, “The Best and the Brightest,” which explained the factors that eventually led to the Vietnam War. Labeled a traitor by President Lyndon Johnson for his breakthrough coverage of Vietnam as a New York Times correspondent, Halberstam exposed to the public how and why the Vietnam War went wrong.\n“By invading Iraq, we punched our hand into the biggest hornet’s nest in the Middle East,” Halberstam said. “We gravely underestimated the capabilities of our opponents.” \nHalberstam has been outspoken against the war since the 2003 invasion. He also has condemned the Bush administration’s approach to conducting and evaluating the U.S. occupation in Iraq. \n“It is important for public intellectuals to put current events into a historical context. The parallels that Halberstam drew between Vietnam and Iraq presents a perspective that we generally lack,” said IU graduate student Chris Johnson. “I was incredibly impressed by the strength of Halberstam’s message.”\n“Halberstam’s message is very important to a community like Bloomington and fitting for a day of protest and vigil such as this one,” said Bloomington resident Virginia Gest.\nHalberstam insisted that the United States begin withdrawing troops as soon as possible and pointed out that the widespread patriotism that resulted from the Sept. 11 attacks is quickly fading.\n“I would like to see us stop trying to spread democracy in the Middle East and instead focus on spreading it in our own country,” he said.