"Vietnam syndrome " is having a loss of faith and a defeatist attitude. Operation Desert Storm in 1991, retored our country's faith and removed our defeatist attitude. President George Bush (Senior) announced to the world on nation wide TV, that America had "...defeated the Vietnam Sydrome."
Some people use the term to describe being lost in a quaqmire of an unwinnable war. However, if that was the case all previous wars to Vietnam would have been "Vietnam Syndromes": During the US Civil War, President Lincoln felt that he might be in an un-winnable war. During WWII, the US and it's allies were LOSING on ALL fronts, the US and it's allies actually at one point, wondered if we could win the war against the axis powers. So, at some point, WWII was considered to some, in the beginning, an un-winnable war, the axis powers seemed unstoppable.
The loss of Vietnam, created in America a loss of faith in our government, our military, and ourselves. It was a Vietnam attitude (Vietnam Syndrome).
Vietnam Syndrome- A general reluctance on the part of Americans to engage in another lengthy full-scale war.
Biggest aftereffect of The Nam was because of defoliant, agent orange