University of Virginia Library

Graebner Criticizes Foreign Policy;
Waskow Cites Vietnam's Benefits

Photo By Jim Lee

More than 300 people attended a
discussion in Cabell Hall Auditorium last
night on American Foreign Policy and the
War in Vietnam; in the second scheduled
event of the Vietnam Moratorium
program.

The discussion consisted of talks by
Norman Graebner of the University's
Department of History and Arthur
Waskow of the Institute for Policy
Studies in Washington, D.C. Questions
were also directed to the speakers by a
panel consisting of Caroline Dinegar, of the
Department of Government and Foreign
Affairs, Richard J. Coughlin of the Department
of Sociology and Anthropology, and Bud Ogle,
President of Student Council.

Mr. Graebner, in speaking on American
foreign policy since 1945, divided his talk into
a discussion of American foreign policy in
Europe and in the rest of the world.

Mr. Graebner stated that since World War II,
the United States has been governed in its
European policies by a theory of containment.
He said that the United States has attempted to
contain Soviet Russia from extending its
political influence outside of Eastern Europe.

"This containment," said Mr. Graebner,
"has been based on strength. The United States
has felt a need to negotiate with Russia from a
position of strength. But how much strength is
needed for negotiation? We have increased in
strength and there is still no negotiation.

"Indeed, the ability to pulverize the earth's
surface has not seemed enough for us to
negotiate...And this is the inherent fault: if
negotiation is the end of containment and if we
need strength to negotiate, once a nation has a
certain level of strength, it need no longer
negotiate."

In speaking on American foreign policy in
other areas of the world, Mr. Graebner stated
that the United States has followed a policy of
"counter-expansion which has ultimately led us
to a policy of counter-revolution. We have seen
every assault on the status quo of nations as a
threat of the Communist nations and have
therefore opposed that change.

"In keeping with this policy of the status
quo, we are keeping the rich against the poor in
other nations and are stopping nationalist
movements from growing.

"This policy has reached a crisis level. In
thinking that we are containing the Communist
nations, we think that we are trying to fight
foreign power in small nations. But the real
power of any revolution comes from the
revolutionaries themselves.

"This is why the Vietnamese war has been
so costly. The power of the enemy has come
from the people themselves, not from outside."

In concluding, Mr. Graebner told the
audience what he felt the results of the war
have been. "It has been a costly war for the
United States, both in-manpower and money. It
has hurt United States' credibility in other
nations. But it has also shown the United States
the importance for regional responsibility in
security and a need for the nation to reassess its
goals in foreign policy."

Following Mr. Graebner's talk, Mr. Waskow
spoke on the "War in Vietnam and the Future
of America." Mr. Waskow began his discussion
by comparing the war in Vietnam to a lightning
bolt. He stated that the bolt was originally
aimed at the people of Vietnam and was
supposed to help them achieve self-determination.
But, Mr. Waskow pointed out, the
lightning bolt had boomeranged and its "heat"
had intensified the "already-present strains" in
American society while its "flash" awakened
the American people to certain problems in our
society.

In speaking on the war's effect on our
society, Mr. Waskow stated that the war had
intensified certain problems in our society.
"The war pointed out that the promises of the
government to minority groups were lies. It also
stopped any worthwhile projects for helping
these people from continuing. The war also,"
said Mr. Waskow, "legitimized violence. The
government had tried to keep reform peaceful
by telling the people that violence can't
successfully attain political goals. But suddenly
we were fighting for political goals in Vietnam.
This legitimized violence in the eyes of
minority groups seeking political change."

In talking on the effect of the "flash" from
that "lightning bolt" on America, Mr. Waskow
stated that it had opened our eyes to certain
problems. "It showed us that the education
system was tied to the war machine and to
death. It showed us the bankruptcy of modern
American political parties to listen to the
wishes of the people. It showed us that the CIA
was helping to corrupt our domestic society. It
also showed us the blunders of the military
machine and the inability of the American
establishment to control its course. In short, it
laid bare many American myths."