University of Virginia Library

Historian Kenneth Waltz

Decries Vietnam As Act
Of Power, Not Of Wisdom

By JEFF DICKERSON

"In Vietnam something
went wrong. Vietnam was not
an act of American wisdom but
of American power," claimed
University of California
government professor, Kenneth
Waltz.

"Power is that which one
has if he affects the other
fellow more than the other
fellow affects him," he added.

Opening the Woodrow
Wilson Lecture Series Thursday
night with a lecture on
"Foreign Policy and the
Democracy," Mr. Waltz began
his discussion with comments
on democratic principles of the
U.S. with our involvement in
world affairs.

Claiming democracies as
being basically a "peaceful
form of government," he
stated, "In the 1950's the
world thought it was the Soviet
Union that was keeping the
world from peace."

Through American
democratic principles, "man
should never enter into an
unnecessary or aggressive war,"
said Mr. Waltz.

He mentioned that the
Domino Theory gives credence
to the importance it has to the
U.S. "While Vietnam is not a
security threat, very remote
dangers cannot be predicted."

"The Domino Theory is a
necessity for national interest,"
he added.

He stated that through much
of our history we have been an
isolationist country because
many administrations have felt
the world was corrupting the
U.S.

For many years, "the U.S.
renounced European style
diplomacy," Mr. Waltz said,
"Our security depends upon
anything that's going on in the
world."

The rationale for U.S.
foreign policy consisted of
three items according to Mr.
Waltz, the Domino Theory,
Isolation or Insulation from
the World, and World Order.

The recipe for "world
order" that he gave was "to be
weaker by decreasing spending
capability by decreasing
military spending." The world
plan that now exists states that
weak countries must be able to
foster peace and that strong
countries must be able to have
a war-oriented policy.

Claiming that U.S. economic
capability is nearly two to one
over the Soviet Union, "The
margin of power the U.S. has
may be vastly dangerous to the
world, even though the world
can live with us," Mr. Waltz
said.

"The U.S. is in a situation
where losses could not affect
or till the world power balance
against us," he added.