Vietnam was America’s costliest departure from containment. As Kennan explained, when America goes to war over something less than a vital interest, the adversary – for whom vital interests are at stake – will fight long after the war has become too unpopular at home to sustain.
美国悖离遏制策略的教训尤以越南最为惨重。就像凯南所说的那样，美国发动战争时并不是为了自己的核心利益，但对手的情况却恰恰相反，因此我们的对手一定会英勇奋战，一直到战争由于持续的时间过长而在美国民众中失去支持。布什在伊拉克再次犯下了这样的错误。