There was a certain bitter amusement in Vietnamese prime minister Phan Van Khai's call on President Bush at the White House: amusement, from seeing Communists grovel for a slice of the wealth they affect to despise; bitter, because they have enjoyed 30 years of unchecked power.

There was a certain bitter amusement in Vietnamese prime minister Phan Van Khai's call on President Bush at the White House: amusement, from seeing Communists grovel for a slice of the wealth they affect to despise; bitter, because they have enjoyed 30 years of unchecked power. The forces driving Vietnam and the United States closer together are poverty and geopolitics. On a continent of economic tigers, Vietnam is tired of being the dog; and once the Americans left Cam Ranh Bay, the Vietnamese realized they were alone with China (the two neighbors fought a brief war in 1979). America, rich and powerful, holds the whip in this emerging partnership. There is no need to crack it, only to show it from time to time, to ensure that the Vietnamese people gain a measure of freedom along with increased prosperity and security.