The Return of Agent Orange

On January 6, Senior Research Fellow Phillip Longman and author of “Best Care Anywhere,” Michael F. Martin, specialist in Asian affairs for the Congressional Research Service, and Clay Risen, Managing Editor of Democracy held a discussion of Agent Orange and its continuing legacy. The panel discussion was based on a special report, “The Agent Orange Boomerang,” in the January/February issue of the Washington Monthly. The speakers were introduced by Paul Glastris, Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation and Editor in Chief of the Washington Monthly.

Decades after the U.S. military sprayed Agent Orange on the jungles of Vietnam, the long-acting toxin is still damaging lives in that country. Now, after years of silence, the government of Vietnam — an increasingly important U.S. ally — is demanding compensation. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of American GIs who served in Vietnam but aren’t receiving VA care have contracted chronic diseases that, according to new medical research, may be linked to Agent Orange exposure.

Michael Martin spoke about environment remediation, associated health care issues, and the continued scientific research about the effects of Agent Orange and dioxin. “Hot spots” have been identified where concentration levels are high, he said, and the top three hot spots are all around where U.S. military bases used to be due to spillage. The major problem going forward is the difference in scale between the funds committed by the United States and the funds the Vietnamese government estimates will be required to deal with the problem. Clay Risen explored the historical, international, and legal context that might serve as a basis for establishing the degree of U.S. responsibility for remediation. While countries waging war have little incentive to limit their capacities during wartime, the question of remediation in the case of Agent Orange, ultimately, Risen agreed, comes down to cost. Discussions of reducing the environmental impacts of war, also, are inherently secondary; all warfare is detrimental to the environment. Phillip Longman spoke about American Veterans’ experiences with Agent Orange. While the VA has undergone a quality revolution in the 90s, he said, when it comes to Agent Orange, the VA’s shortcomings are revealed. Waiting for science is usually a good thing, Longman said, but science takes a while to accumulate data, so the VA has essentially asked people to prove something that can’t be proved. The better way, he said, is to stop trying to condition access to health care for Veterans.

Participants

Featured Speakers
Phillip Longman
Senior Research Fellow, New America Foundation
Author, “Best Care Anywhere”

Michael F. Martin, Ph.D.
Analyst in Asian Trade & Finance
Foreign Affairs, Defense & Trade Division, Congressional Research Service
Library of Congress

Clay Risen
Managing Editor
Democracy

Moderator
Paul Glastris
Schwartz Fellow, New America Foundation
Editor in Chief, Washington Monthly