The American view of the Asian "other" largely affected American assumptions from the beginning, as they believed most Vietnamese were politically immature and lacking a sense of nationhood. As we can see from the beliefs of the American subcommittee, "the idea that indigenous political traditions or abilities might permit the Vietnamese to govern themselves in the postwar period was almost inconceivable," and this rested on "pervasive American assumptions of Vietnamese subservience and susceptibility to external control," (Bradley 89, 93). Mecklin proves this to be the case when he stat...

• Word Count: 849
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Graduate