President Obama announced that the United States will allow the sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam on Monday. Until this announcement, there was a decades-long ban on the sale of such weapons, going back to the Vietnam War.
Obama made his announcement at a news conference with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang during his 3-day-long trip to the communist country. This comes at a time when the dispute over the South China Sea is in full force. While many islands within the sea are within the territory of several different Asian nations or international waters, China has been trying to overtake the entire area. This makes it seem like the deal may have more to do with China and their buildup in the sea than with Vitetnam correcting its human rights violations.
However, he said, “The decision to lift the ban was not based on China or any other considerations. It was based on our desire to complete what has been a lengthy process of moving toward normalization with Vietnam.”
Human rights campaigners are angry with the White House after Obama announced the sale of weapons to the country. Activists previously stated that they would not lift the ban until Vietnam’s human rights violations were drastically improved, reported CNN.
According to BuzzFeed, the country holds over 100 political prisoners and their political and press freedoms have been labeled “dire in all areas” by Human Rights Watch.
Sadly, this pretty much sums up Obama’s lifting the Vietnam arms embargo for no real progress on human rights. pic.twitter.com/EmXTFZs3Vu
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) May 24, 2016
In an attempt to alleviate the concerns, Obama said, “Sales will need to still meet strict requirements, including those related to human rights, but this change will ensure that Vietnam has access to the equipment it needs to defend itself.”
Many U.S. citizens aren’t so sure about the decision. While lifting the ban certainly makes strides towards normalizing relations with Vietnam, did Obama give the country a reward they didn’t deserve?