The U.S. deployed 541,000 soldiers to the Persian Gulf during the 1990-1991 Iraq crisis. The last time American troops were deployed in such numbers was in the Vietnam War. In examining how the Persian Gulf War affected the U.S. domestically and internationally, both supporters and critics of the war have made comparisons to the Vietnam experience.

After more than a decade of fighting, the Vietnam War ended in American defeat and divisiveness. For years afterward people referred to the "Vietnam syndrome" to describe a lack of public unity and confidence in the United States. Newsweek reporter Charles Lane writes: "For half a generation, the memory of defeat in Vietnam—and the deep national divisions exposed and fed by that defeat—haunted the United States. A 'can't-do' spirit seemed to dog the government's efforts."

Many people argued...