And we dropped more bombs on poor Laos (mostly because pilots weren't supposed to land back at base with bombs still on board) than on Japan and Germany combined... they estimate it will take about 600 years to removed all the unexploded cluster bombs and children regurly get maimed and killed by them (they look like tennis balls).
The Chin, Hmong, and Lao are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, too.
Reading stuff like this and Cambodia, I truly wonder why so many Americans still hide behind "freedom" for every single atrocity their government representatives have done.
Why can't Americans (and to some extent Europeans) just come out and say, "Yea, we are often assholes and we have self interests. That's why we do these atrocities. It's not because of 'freedom'"? At least be honest.
Just because you have freedom of speech doesn't mean you do the right things nor does it mean you are fighting the right cause.
As an American (3rd generation), I assure you that many of us are firmly aware that this nation was built upon violence and committed violence on a grand scale. In my personal opinion, we have done a lot of good, but also a lot of bad. A lot of our statecraft was learned from the British and the French. This did not really change until after the southeast Asia debacle and things started to shift to a less cynical and more nuanced view of the world.
Unfortunately, 9/11 slammed us hard back into being angry and defensive. COVID just made it worse...
It will probably be a generation until we calm back down. Or Putin/Xi dies. Whichever comes first.
The Chin, Hmong, and Lao are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, too.