By Lumine
WASHINGTON, D.C. A surge of frustration is rising among young Americans as they draw striking comparisons between U.S. involvement in Vietnam and its current support for Israel’s war in Gaza, fueling a generational crisis of trust in national leadership.
Veteran journalist and activist Norman Solomon warns that history is repeating itself, with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris facing mounting backlash for continuing large-scale arms shipments to Israel. Solomon argues the administration is echoing the mistakes of the 1960s, when Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon disregarded mass protests against the Vietnam War.
“In the ‘60s, we thought Johnson would listen,” Solomon recalled. “Instead, he escalated the war. That betrayal is now being repeated.”
A June 2024 CBS News/YouGov poll found that 61% of Americans oppose sending weapons to Israel. Among adults under 30, that figure rises to 77%, reflecting a stark generational divide on foreign policy and the erosion of trust in government institutions.
“Young people see through the rhetoric,” said Sarah Lin, political analyst with the Institute for Civic Futures. “They know what complicity looks like. And it looks like silence while bombs fall on civilians.”
Solomon likened the present moment to the moral collapse that followed Vietnam. He pointed to Vice President Harris’s controversial appearance on The View, where she said there was “not a thing that comes to mind” when asked if she disagreed with any of President Biden’s decisions. Critics say her response echoes Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s loyalty to Johnson during the height of the Vietnam War.
“This isn’t just déjà vu,” Solomon said. “It’s a lesson we keep refusing to learn.”
With another election cycle looming, political observers warn that the administration’s stance on Gaza could carry long-term consequences for voter turnout, especially among younger demographics increasingly alienated by what they see as hypocrisy in American foreign policy.
As pressure builds, the question remains: Will today’s leaders listen to a generation once again demanding accountability or will history repeat itself?
