World War III Ignited, Global Citizens Filled with Anxiety
By Jacob Ereste
Freelance Journalist
The Vietnam War, pitting the Communist North (backed by the Soviet Union and China) against the anti-Communist South (supported by the US and Western allies), ultimately led to America’s defeat. The stated reason for US involvement was to prevent the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia, based on the domino effect doctrine.
America’s moral and military defeat was cloaked in the domino doctrine—the belief that if one country fell to Communism, neighboring countries would follow suit. The US, supporting South Vietnam, faced the combined might of the Soviet Union and China backing North Vietnam, along with the Viet Cong guerrillas and popular support for Ho Chi Minh. This left America seemingly helpless, forcing its withdrawal in 1973 from Saigon, which fell to North Vietnam in 1975. This victory for North Vietnam marked a Communist triumph. The Vietnam War, extensively depicted in blockbuster films from the 1990s and 2000s, clearly humiliated America, despite many US films attempting to downplay their defeat.
The domino effect doctrine claimed that if one Southeast Asian country fell to Communism, neighboring countries would topple one by one, like dominos. America’s claim was to halt the spread of Communism from Soviet and Chinese influence by aiding anti-Communist South Vietnam.
American provocations suggested that if Vietnam fell to the Communists (North Vietnam), then Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and even Indonesia would also become Communist. Therefore, regional stability and geopolitical influence in Southeast Asia were of great importance to America. In reality, a war relying solely on military power was thwarted by the strength of the people and a deeply rooted ideology.
Ideological conflicts, like those between North Vietnam (Communist) and South Vietnam (anti-Communist), are difficult for external parties to intervene in, and wars tend to continue until they find their own path to peace. The Vietnam War, which began in 1955 when the conflict between North and South Vietnam escalated after the First Indochina War ended in 1954 with the Geneva Accords, was technically in its infancy. However, small-scale conflicts had already begun in 1940 during the struggle for independence from French colonizers, finally erupting into full-scale war in 1975 when North Vietnam captured Saigon and unified Vietnam.
Thus, America’s meddling in various battlefields in other countries, such as the 1990s Gulf War, was clearly not solely for global security and comfort—a doctrine often preached to nations like Indonesia. Instead, America’s interests were primarily economic. In the Gulf War, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, the US aimed to secure oil access to maintain stable supply and controlled prices, which are vital for the global economy and the United States itself. Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait threatened regional stability. There was concern that if Iraq controlled Kuwait and potentially Saudi Arabia, it could control global oil supplies, affecting global power. This could cripple America. Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein himself sought to make Iraq the dominant power in the Gulf region with greater coastal access to the Persian Gulf.
Nevertheless, after the Vietnam War ended and South and North Vietnam united on July 2, 1976, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with its capital Hanoi (formerly the capital of North Vietnam), is now generally peaceful and tranquil. And America continues to dream of winning the war between Israel and Iran after the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine. The latest developments, following Iran’s missile and drone attacks over the past week, have put Israel on the defensive, providing America with a sort of legitimacy to become more deeply and openly involved in a confrontation with Iran. Iran’s attack, carried out since June 16, 2025, has been met with retaliation from Israel, which claims to have successfully damaged Iran’s defense systems. The impact of the Iranian attack has prompted several countries to evacuate their embassy staff from Iran and Israel due to the escalating hostilities that threaten human lives in the vicinity of the battleground.
European diplomats are in a panic, pushing for diplomatic negotiations in Geneva to defuse a conflict that America itself ignited.
The conflict arena could spread to other neighboring countries, such as Yemen (Houthi) in the shadow of the Syrian-Lebanese war. For instance, the Houthi armed group from Yemen, allied with Iran and opposing Israel and America, has not yet become directly involved. Internal conflict in Yemen led to a civil war in 2014, worsening in 2015, with lingering effects. Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi remains in exile. The Syrian war has caused a flood of refugees into Lebanon. Although the conflict between Syria and Lebanon is limited to political dominance, military training, and proxy wars, the conditions in both countries are not immune to ongoing regional instability. It seems the situation around Palestine will continue to flare as long as America’s desires remain unfulfilled. And Iran, it seems, is unlikely to quell its anger towards America, which is veiled by the war against Israel.
This is why global citizens are genuinely anxious, as the third world war has already been ignited and appears to have begun.**
Banten, June 22, 2025
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