The U.S.’s allergic reaction TO COMMUNISM
PART TWO OF FOUR
We now know that the Domino Theory was a flawed concept. So, our justification for replacing the French in opposing Vietnamese independence was simply wrong. And I should point out that several years ago the Wall Street Journal reported that Vietnam is our largest trading partner for textiles after China. Our trading partner – and just as communist as ever.
But our allergy to communism persists. As former Senator J. William Fulbright pointed out so eloquently in his 1966 book, The Arrogance of Power,
“The American view of revolution is thus shaped by a simple but so far insuperable dilemma: we are simultaneously hostile to communism and sympathetic to nationalism, and when the two become closely associated, we become agitated, frustrated, angry, precipitate, and inconstant. Or, to make the point by a simple metaphor: loving corn and hating lima beans, we simply cannot make up our minds about succotash.”
Fulbright also notes that communism is commonly a stage in the growth of a nation from autocracy. We see Russia gave it up and the only way China can call itself communist was to add a healthy dose of capitalism under Deng Xiaoping. And now as Xi Jinping creeps toward more government control China’s economy is sure to suffer.
Witness the recent disappearance of star Chinese investment banker Fan Bao. Chinese capitalists surely see the dangers. Isn’t it time we reexamine our seeming allergy to the word communism?
By Michael Daly
Guest Columnist
