I suspect most people who were aware of it, around the world , and even in the USA, felt sympathetic towards Vietnam in this action. However this didn't register with the US Government. In fact, as I understand it, the Vietnamese invasion against Pol Pot was used by the USA as grounds for continuing to impose sanctions against Vietnam for years.

Still, that's thread drift. It'd be better in a thread of its own maybe?

Little Hawk says "Smashing up property is harmful. Building a house or a piece of furniture is helpful." Surely that depends on the property, and on where the house is built and stuff like that? There is property that is better off destroyed, and buildings that should never be put up. And, of course, building a house might well involve smashing up the property of the people who lived there before the house builders came along.

No one has mentioned Kant's categorical imperative, which seems a pretty good basis for deciding what is right and what is wrong: "Act according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should be a universal law."