I'm a political scientist not an anthropologist, but it seems to me that the Middle East is much more fractured than Vietnam. Middle Eastern countries, with some exceptions like Egypt and Iran, are largely artificial constructs dating from the aftermath of WWI, where boundary lines were drawn by colonial powers who pretty much ignored ethnic and tribal groups. Vietnam has much more of a history as a separate entity with a distinct language and culture. Also, it seems to me that the religious differences are much more stark in the Middle East than in Vietnam. In short, the shortcomings of our Vietnam policies are magnified greatly by the more difficult situations in Iraq and other ME countries.
I'm a political scientist not an anthropologist, but it seems to me that the Middle East is much more fractured than Vietnam. Middle Eastern countries, with some exceptions like Egypt and Iran, are largely artificial constructs dating from the aftermath of WWI, where boundary lines were drawn by colonial powers who pretty much ignored ethnic and tribal groups. Vietnam has much more of a history as a separate entity with a distinct language and culture. Also, it seems to me that the religious differences are much more stark in the Middle East than in Vietnam. In short, the shortcomings of our Vietnam policies are magnified greatly by the more difficult situations in Iraq and other ME countries.