Was Australia's Involvement in the Vietnam War Necessary?

The outbreak of the Vietnam War was due to the retaliation of South Vietnam, Australia and America against North Vietnam and the Communist regime. However, Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War was not necessary as the justifications behind sending Australian troops to Vietnam were not suitable enough. The reasons behind the unnecessary deployment of the Australian troops were the alliances between the members and protected nations, the Domino effect and the assumption of the Vietnam War being the next WW3.
ANZUS and SEATO treaties were created in order for the protection of the treaty member countries and the protected states. The ANZUS treaty was founded in result to the escalating fear of communist expansion in the Asia-Pacific region. The terms of the treaty declared that members must show support and unity for each other if under attack. As for the SEATO treaty, it was established, with member countries including: USA, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan and France, in order to protect countries in South East Asia and the Pacific that felt threatened by Communism. Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam were named as the protected countries, hence the Vietnam War. However, nowhere in these two treaties did the terms stipulate for member countries to go to war if one was attacked and for there to be military involvement to defend protected states. Furthermore the treaties had no reference to communism, whatsoever. Therefore, Robert Menzies excuse to use the alliances as the reason for Australia going to war against North Vietnam, is invalid. Besides the involvement of Australia was due to American and Australian diplomats pressurizing the Vietnamese president into accepting Australia’s desire to support. Australia’s PM blindly thrust Australian troops into the middle of a hell warzone where the methods of war were not conventional, in order to gain support of the US as the nation’s biggest ally. Menzies believed into honouring the spirits of the treaties without fully grasping the extent of damage of what the Vietnam War would do the Australian soldiers and their communities just shows how much America’s power of persuasion and manipulation expands for.
Australia’s belief of the Domino theory prompted Menzies’ policy of forward defence which led to an outbreak of an unnecessary was on an international scale. The Domino theory was based on the assumption in which the victory of communism in one nation would initiate a chain reaction of communist takeovers in neighbouring states. The US government used the Domino theory to justify its support with the South Vietnamese in the war, therefore increasing their military involvement in the long-run. Hence, leading to Australia’s adoption of the preposterous belief based on the Domino theory. There were many explanations to why the Domino theory was nonsensical, including the fact that Vietnam was separated from Australia by various countries such as Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea; not to mention all the minute islands surrounding these countries and the large body of water of South China Sea, Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean enclosing Australia. There was also no evidence that a communist takeover of South Vietnam would be a direct threat to Australia. Furthermore, Menzies’ forward defence policy is a policy made on immoral justifications. The policy of forward defence is a prime example of modern imperialism. The basis of the forward defence policy was to fight enemies before they reached the shores of Australia. To proceed into another country and manipulate their land for one nation’s selfish use is heinous. To endanger one country for the purpose of protecting another, to use one country’s land in order to protect another, to endanger one country’s innocent civilians in order to protect another is an atrocity. But this is exactly what Australia and America executed to supposedly contain the communist regime from spreading further.
Was the Vietnam War a war based on Australia and America being truly worried about the welfare of Vietnam or was it just a way for the big, developed nations to bully the smaller countries, using the communist threat as their alibi? The Vietnam War was essentially a civil war between the North and the South, and not part of a Chinese communist thrust into Asia-Pacific. A nationalist battle for independence. The North Vietnamese yearned for the unification of Vietnam under one rule of the Communist party. The essence of the Vietnam War was the ideas of liberation and free will of the Vietnamese citizens. Vietnam has been ruled and oppressed by foreigners for an awfully long time – since the ancient era. The Chinese dynasties have had the longest rule over Vietnamese, stretching for many centuries. The beginning of the western rule was with the French, then the Japanese for brief period and then the French gained control again. And then, Americans came along, attempting to control the South Vietnamese government. America led the world to believe that the Vietnam War was due to the communist threats planning to take over the Asia-Pacific region. Whereas, the facts were clearly stated, depicting Vietnam’s hatred of foreigners occupation of their country and a civil war between two competing philosophies.
Vietnam being so close to China has suffered many centuries of Ancient Chinese rule. The beginning of the western rule over Vietnam begun with the French gaining control over the Vietnamese dynasties then the Japanese took over. The Japanese only had the upper-hand for a short period of time before the French reigned again. The French colonised Vietnam for nearly a hundred years! And then, America came along, attempting to control the South Vietnamese government. All the Vietnamese people wanted was to exonerate all foreign domination from their country and foreign soldiers so that Vietnam can live in peace.
All in all, the large degree of the war was under false pretences of the Americans and South Vietnam was unfortunately used as an imperialist state puppet.