Post-Vietnam Syndrome
“[W]hat I call the ‘post-Vietnam syndrome,’ [is] the resistance of many in Congress to the use of military force abroad for any reason, because of our nation’s experience in Vietnam. No rational person ever wants to unleash military force, but I believe there are situations when it is necessary for the United States to do so — especially when the defense of freedom and democracy is involved or the lives and liberty of our citizens are at stake. I understood what Vietnam had meant for the country, but I believed the United States couldn’t remain spooked forever by this experience to the point where it refused to stand up and defend its legitimate national security interests.” –Ronald Reagan