Girón and Vietnam: A Remedy for Trump

United States administrations have stumbled over the same stone throughout history. Memories are short, or memories are overlooked. Forgotten, too, are resulting crushing military defeats: first in 1961 in the invasion of Cuba at Girón Beach, and, 14 years later, in the bloody war against Vietnam. Coincidently, both began in the month of April.

On April 19, [1961], 58 years ago, Washington and its mercenaries were overthrown by the people of Greater Antilles, when they tried to seize the island through the southwestern Bay of Pigs.

In just 72 hours, the paramilitary, trained and financed like today’s Pentagon and CIA terrorists, was crushed. Imperialism suffered its first great defeat in Latin America.

It is prudent to repeatedly remind the current occupant of the White House of the history of Girón, especially now, as he desperately tries to threaten Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Bolivia in “Our America,” as well as other nations in the world, such as North Korea and Iran.

Of course, it is also prudent to refresh the memory of President Donald Trump − who surely did not fight in the prolonged war against Vietnam − about the scandalous setback dealt to the U.S. by a heroic Asian populace on April 30, 1975, after 15 years of continuous attacks by the U.S. empire.

Girón and Vietnam syndromes still endure among those who were sent as cannon fodder to such military adventures and the relatives who lost many of their loved ones.

Quite obviously, politicians and White House leaders have forgotten.

And they are reluctant to admit that the world’s unilateral era has come to a close. Today, new powers have reappeared: Russia, China and Iran, to name a few. They will stand up to the aggressive and hegemonic behavior of Washington, as will entire populations of people in defense of their sovereignty and independence.

A friend from Europe, hardly one to be accused of being liberal, opined that Trump and his advisers are flopping like dying fish, because the U.S. empire is falling apart. If they continue to gamble on the battles of war, they will finally destroy it.

For this reason, it would be wise to remind Trump and his advisers, during these days in April, of what transpired in Girón and in Vietnam.

These two lessons should have been learned by now.