State Department shows their lack of touch, yet again.

[PedroDaGr8]

So the state department has been working with Harvard and the University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City, to setup the first independent university in Vietnam. A noble endeavor of course and an idea I support in concept, but who do they appoint as chair of this university? Surely a respected professor or an intellectual scholar, maybe someone from Harvard Business school or something. Nope, they appoint former Nebraska governor and Vietnam veteran Bob Kerrey. This is the same guy who has been accused of war crimes during the Vietnam war, where he lead a platoon which he ordered to slaughter 20+ innocent civilians in a small village in Vietnam, including a 65 year old man who had his throat slit, a pregnant woman and 13 children. He has admittedly been attempting to bring closer ties between the USA and Vietnam as attempt for attrition for what he did in Vietnam, but clearly this has ruffled more than a few feathers in Vietnam. Especially in the older generations who remember the Vietnam war and what happened to their country. While I understand that he has worked hard to make amends, and wouldn't even be against him being on the BoT, making him the titular head of the university shows and INCREDIBLE lack of tact and intelligence.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/world/asia/vietnam-fulbright-university-kerrey.html?module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Asia%20Pacific&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=article

My gf is quite bothered by this, even though her family was and is very much proud south Vietnamese. Her grandmother was imprisoned by the north for sheltering some South Vietnamese officers. She said the younger generation though, doesn't mind. They view any closer relations with the USA as a good thing and a way to stem some of the Chienese influecnce that is destroying their country. While I agree, removing some of the Chinese influence is good, this particular pick is just ridiculously stupid. My gf pretty much agrees, she would love to see more American influence but feels like this pick is doing more harm than good.

[Doc]

Wasn't he the guy they made the movie starring sean Penn and MJ Fox about?

[Doc]

Was thinking of the movie Casualties of War.

[PedroDaGr8]

Wasn't he the guy they made the movie starring sean Penn and MJ Fox about?

Not sure, I haven't seen that movie. That being said, the absolute tone deafness of this move just astounded me.

[suncat05]

Given the existing problems in the South China Sea/Pacific Rim area right now, we need all the alliances we can muster up to counter the Chinese threat to the region. And please make no mistake about it, the current Chinese threat is very much the same threat our country saw with all of the Japanese aggression we saw prior to WWII. It will require every other country in the region not named China to counter that threat.
Now, do I believe this current administration is the right bunch to be leading this effort? Hell no, this is the gang that can't shoot straight, much less be even remotely correct about any assessment about a current growing threat. This band of merry men won't even say the words "Islamic terrorists" for fear of offending the damn terrorists, so what would lead a reasonable person to believe that they have any idea how to counter a real threat and protect America from said threat? I have zero confidence in this bunch or any efforts they say they are making allegedly on our behalf.
As to former Senator Kerrey leading this effort, I am not currently informed enough of the prior situation during the Vietnam War to speak to it. What exactly are the allegations?