ຫວຽດນາມໄດ້ຮັບການສະໜັບສະໜຸນສອງເທົ່າຈາກສະຫະລັດໃນດ້ານການທູດໃນເຂດເດີນເຮືອທາງທະເລ ໃນອາທິດແລ້ວນີ້.
ຢູ່ທາງພາກເໜືອຂອງປະເທດ, ທີ່ນະຄອນຫລວງຮາໂນ່ຍນັ້ນ, ທ່ານ ມາກ ແອສເພີ (Mark Esper), ລັດຖະມົນຕີກະຊວງປ້ອງກັນປະເທດສະຫະລັດ ໄດ້ປະກາດໃນວັນພຸດຜ່າມນມາວ່າ ປະເທດຂອງທ່ານຈະສະໜອງກຳປັ່ນຍາມຝັ່ງອະເນກປະສົງລຳທີສອງໃຫ້ຫວຽດນາມເພື່ອໃຊ້ຢູ່ໃນເຂດທະເລຈີນໃຕ້, ບ່ອນທີ່ປະເທດດັ່ງກ່າວມີຂໍ້ຂັດແຍ້ງກັບຈີນນັ້ນ.
ສ່ວນຢູ່ທາງພາກໃຕ້, ມີເຫດການທີ່ບໍ່ໄດ້ກ່ຽວຂ້ອງກັນກັບເລື້ອງນີ້ທີ່ມີຂຶ້ນພ້ອມໆກັນ, ຄືຫົວໜ້າກົງສູນໃຫຍ່ຂອງສະຫະລັດໄດ້ຂີ່ເຮືອນ້ອຍໄປຢ້ຽມຊົມເຂດທົ່ງພຽງແມ່ນ້ຳຂອງ ຊຶ່ງເປັນສ່ວນນຶ່ງຂອງການຢ້ຽມຢາມຫລາຍໆຄັ້ງທີ່ກ່ຽວຂ້ອງກັບການສຶກສາ, ສະພາບແວດລ້ອມ ແລະວັດທະນະທຳ.
ຢູ່ໃນເຫດການທັງສອງອັນທີ່ຕ່າງກັນນັ້ນ, ອັນນຶ່ງແມ່ນອຳນາດທີ່ແຂງແກ່ນ, ສ່ວນອີກອັນນຶ່ງແມ່ນອຳນາດແບບນິ້ມນວນ, ເປັນການສະແດງໃຫ້ເຫັນເຖິງການ ຮັດແໜ້ນເຮັດໃຫ້ມີຄວາມໃກ້ຊິດກັນຂຶ້ນໃນຫລາຍແບບແຕກຕ່າງກັນລະຫວ່າງ ຫວຽດນາມກັບສະຫະລັດ, ຢູ່ໃນຫລາຍສັດຕະວັດ ຫລັງຈາກມີການຕໍ່ສູ້ກັນຢູ່ໃນສົງຄາມທີ່ຍືດເຍື້ອອັນນຶ່ງນັ້ນ.
ທ່ານນາງ ເມຣີ ດາມົວ (Marie Damour), ຫົວໜ້າກົງສູນໃຫຍ່ຂອງສະຫະລັດປະຈຳນະຄອນໂຮຈີມິນໄດ້ໃຊ້ເວລາ 3 ວັນ ເພື່ອຢ້ຽມຢາມແຂວງ ອານຊາງ (An Giang) ຊຶ່ງເປັນແຂວງໃກ້ຄຽງທີ່ຕັ້ງຢູ່ໃນເຂດທົ່ງພຽງແມ່ນ້ຳຂອງ, ທີ່ພາໃຫ້ມີການເປີດສູນອາເມຣິກັນແຫ່ງນຶ່ງ. ສູນກາງແບບນັ້ນ ມີຢູ່ແລ້ວໃນນະຄອນຫລວງຮາໂນ່ຍ ແລະນະຄອນໂຮຈີມິນ ບ່ອນທີ່ສູນດັ່ງກ່າວ ໄດ້ກາຍເປັນຄືກັນກັບບໍ່ນ້ຳທີ່ຄົນນິຍົມກັນຫລາຍ. ຊາວໜຸ່ມຫວຽດນາມພາກັນໄປໃຊ້ເວລາຢູ່ໃນສູນແຫ່ງເຫລົ່ານີ້ ເພື່ອເຮັດທຸກຢ່າງນັບແຕ່ເຂົ້າຮຽນໃນຫ້ອງສອນການຂີດຂຽນ ຈົນເຖິງຫ້ອງສອນໃນການໂອ້ລົມສົນທະນາກັນກັບນັກຕົນຕີປະເພດແຈສ (jazz) ທີ່ໄປຢ້ຽມຢາມສູນເຫລົ່ານນັ້ນ ຕະຫລອດທັງການໄປເບິ່ງການກວດຮູບເງົາກ່ອນມັນຈະນຳອອກໄປສາຍ. ພວກເຂົາເຈົ້າເປັນແກ່ນສານຂອງອຳນາດແບບ ນິ້ມນວນ.
ທ່ານນາງ ດາມົວໄດ້ກ່າວຢູ່ໃນພິທີເປີດສູນກາງດັ່ງກ່າວ ໃນມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລແຂວງອານ ຊາງວ່າ "ການໄປໃຊ້ເວລາຢູ່ໃນສູນອາເມຣິກັນ ເປັນການພິສູດໃຫ້ເຫັນວິໃສທັດທີ່ມີຮ່ວມກັນຂອງພວກເຮົາຢ່າງຊັດເຈນ ແລະເປັນຂີດໝາຍຂອງເຫດການທີ່ສຳຄັນຢູ່ໃນສາຍພົວພັນທີ່ມີຄວາມແໜ້ນແກ່ນຢູ່ແລ້ວນັ້ນ.”
ອ່ານຂ່າວນີ້ເພີ້ມເປັນພາສາອັງກິດຢູ່ລຸ່ມນີ້
Vietnam got a double dose of waterway diplomacy from the United States last week.
In the north, in Hanoi, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced Wednesday his nation would provide Vietnam with a second coast guard cutter ship to use in the South China Sea, where it has a dispute with China.
In the south, in an unrelated event around the same time, a U.S. consul general toured the Mekong Delta in a dinghy as part of a series of visits related to education, environment, and culture.
The two separate events, one a display of hard power, the other a show of soft power, indicate the different ways Vietnam and the United States are getting closer, decades after fighting an exhaustive war.
U.S. consul general in Ho Chi Minh City Marie Damour spent three days in the nearby delta province of An Giang, culminating in the opening of an American center. Such centers already exist in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where they have become like popular watering holes. Vietnam's young people hang out at these centers for everything from writing classes to dialogues with visiting jazz musicians to film screenings. They are the quintessence of soft power.
"The American hangout is a testament of our shared vision and marks an important milestone in the already strong relationship," Damour said at the center's opening at the University of An Giang.
It also marked the first such center outside Vietnam's megacities. The location matters, considering two-thirds of citizens live in rural areas. Rather than skewing ]to urban areas, the change shows the U.S. relationship is seeping all across the Southeast Asian nation.
"The future of Vietnam and the U.S.-Vietnam relationship will be determined not only by Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but in all 63 provinces and cities of Vietnam," Damour said.
Her tour included visits to local Cham Muslims at the Mubarak Mosque, to discuss human trafficking with border officers, and to discuss agricultural trade with provincial leaders.
Trade is a conspicuous example of the bilateral relationship. Vietnam and the U.S. have had diplomatic relations for less than three decades. However in that time the U.S. became Vietnam's biggest market for exports, and Vietnam became one of the fastest growing markets for U.S. agricultural products. The communist nation also exports agricultural products, to the U.S. and elsewhere, with the Mekong Delta being a key rice basket and farming region.
Thucydides Trap
As for defense, Hanoi and Washington do not have a military alliance but share worries about the increasing power of Beijing. In announcing another patrol boat handover Esper said the U.S. is "providing Vietnam the capabilities it needs to protect its sovereignty and natural resources."
Esper even brought up Greek historian Thucydides during his speech to the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam last week. The once-esoteric Thucydides is now regularly name-dropped in geopolitical circles. More than two millennia ago he wrote of the war between Sparta and the rising power of Athens. In this millennium a Harvard historian compared those powers to the U.S. and China, saying most historic rivalries between an established and a rising power resulted in conflict, what is called Thucydides' trap.
As the top U.S. military official, Esper pinned the rivalry on China. First he focused on how a rising power -- Athens -- used "aggression" and "might" to bully a smaller state. Then he turned to the South China Sea territorial dispute, where he said smaller states like Vietnam face "harassment."
"China's unilateral efforts to assert illegitimate maritime claims threaten other nations' access to vital natural resources," he said, "undermine the stability of regional energy markets, and increase the risk of conflict."
