For decades after the Vietnam War, U.S. and Vietnamese government relations weren’t hostile, but also not at the top of either’s agenda. The U.S. didn’t find it in it’s national interest to continue focusing on Vietnam relations until very recently. Last Saturday, just after the 50th anniversary of the U.S. pulling out of Vietnam, U.S Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin visited Vietnam to visit Prime Minster Pham Minh Chinh and break ground on the new U.S. embassy in the capital. Elevated focus on creating good relations with the countries around China has been a top priority in the past few years. While Vietnam hasn’t had the cleanest record surrounding human rights, the U.S. is willing to look past this and prioritize keeping China in it’s current position.
This is simply another instance of the U.S. employing off-shore balancing to prop up a possible regional power, or at the very least, ally, in order to curb China’s power. In the international arena, it’s clear that other powers are catching up to the U.S., and in order for the U.S. to hold on to some of their power and influence, it’s necessary for them to facilitate cooperation with regional allies. The creation of the U.S. embassy was a direct response to China’s economic and militaristic expansion throughout the region. The String of Pearls strategy shows how calculated China can be when it comes to encircling another possible regional power, and the U.S. is definitely setting up a similar scheme by having no lack of military and diplomatic bases very close to China.
This ties into the debate about how U.S. national interest plays a huge part in who can be charged by the ICC. I don’t think that Vietnam’s human rights violations were enough to get anyone put on ICC charges, but it does seem to be another case of the U.S. overlooking international norms and laws because it’s doesn’t fit their national interest.