On Monday, President Obama signed a deal with philosophical enemy, but possible ally, Vietnam, which finally demolished the cold war-era military equipment embargo between the United States and Vietnam. The trade restrictions between the two countries were loosed back in 2014, when the embargo was partially lifted in order to make way for armaments related to maritime security in response to hostile Chinese action in the South China Sea.
Obama lifted the ban during his historic visit to Vietnam. This embargo, one of the last major vestiges of the Vietnam War era, has now been dropped because, as Obama stated, the “[the ban] was based on ideological division between our two countries."
So now, the United States doesn't want to focus on what it doesn't have in common with Vietnam (such as political ideology and the same idea of human rights), but what we do have in common, as in not liking China very much and wanting to move away from it both politically and socially. For example, Vietnam is one of the countries that is included in the TPP, which China is not, and America is hoping that Vietnam will become a close ally.
But this dropping of the arms embargo, which apparently has nothing to do with countering China’s military strength in the area, may not all go to the safety of the nation from external forces. Vietnam is well known for its consistent human rights abuses, which America has been closely monitoring. According to the State Department's own Human Rights Report, some of these atrocities include arresting political activists that dare to speak out against its Communist government, allowing peaceful assembles to demonstrate only after obtaining a permit (which are denied more often than not) and using excessive force against the demonstrations even if they are allowed.
It will now not only be Vietnamese weapons that are being used to subdue the public but also American-made weapons. This possibility runs completely contrary to the ideals that we as Americans hold so dear.
Before, these trade embargos were one of the few things America could use as leverage and better the human rights issue. But now that leverage is lost.
Even today, President Obama is pushing for a better human rights situation, both praising Vietnam for the strides it has made so far, but also exhorting it to improve in other areas. Even though the embargo has been dropped, all weapons sales between the U.S. and Vietnam will still be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, so the embargo could once again be reinstated.
But at that point, it may already be too late to stop the use of American weapons to commit atrocities.