Rights before weapons for Vietnam

[unhappycamper]

http://atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/SEA-01-200814.html



Rights before weapons for Vietnam
By Duy Hoang
Aug 20, '14

Earlier this month, Senator John McCain indicated that it was time for the United States to consider selling lethal weapons to Vietnam after a 30-year embargo. The recent maritime standoff between Beijing and Hanoi over Chinese oil exploration off the central coast of Vietnam exposed Hanoi’s many strategic weaknesses.

Providing Vietnam with coast guard and maritime systems as a first step - and eventually radar, fighter aircraft and spare parts for leftover American military equipment - would bolster Hanoi’s strategic capabilities vis-a-vis China and give substance to the "comprehensive partnership" announced last year between Hanoi and Washington.

But more than modern weapon systems, what Vietnam really needs for its long-term security is modern political values. Only through a free and open society can the country mobilize the national unity and prosperity needed to safeguard its sovereignty.

The Hanoi leadership's dilemma between pursuing the national interest and ensuring the communist regime's preservation has often led to incoherent and contradictory actions. Since the 1950s, that has meant acquiescing to Beijing's territorial grabs at the expense of Vietnamese sovereignty. In recent years, Hanoi has accommodated Beijing by suppressing domestic criticism of Chinese expansionism.