In this new collection of essays on the Vietnam War, eminent scholars of the Second Indo-china conflict consider several key factors that led to the defeat of the United States and its allies. The book adopts a candid and critical look at the United State's stance and policies in Vietnam, and refuses to condemn, excuse, or apologize for America's actions in the conflict. Rather, the contributors think widely and creatively about the varied reasons that may have accounted for the United State's failure to defeat the North Vietnamese Army, such as the role played by economics in America's defeat. Other fresh perspectives on the topic include American intelligence failure in Vietnam, the international dimensions of America's defeat in Vietnam, and the foreign policy of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. None of the essays have been previously published, and all have been specifically commissioned for the book by its editor, Marc Jason Gilbert.

Autorentext

MARC JASON GILBERT is Professor of History at North Georgia College and State University. A specialist in the history of modern Vietnam and modern South and Southeast Asia, he has written and edited several books on the Vietnam War, including The Vietnam War: Teaching Approaches and Resources (1991), The TET Offensive (1996), and The Vietnam War on Campus: Other Voices, More Distant Drums (2000). He is also co-author and co-producer of the award-winning documentary Lost Warriors, an examination of the plight of homeless Vietnam veterans.

Inhalt

Preface; E.H.Tilford , Grove City College Introduction; M.J.Gilbert , North Georgia College and State University Winning and Losing the War in Vietnam; R.Brigham , Vassar College Victory by Other Means: The Foreign Policy of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; W.Duiker , Pennsylvania State University The International Dimensions of America's Defeat in Vietnam; G.C.Herring , University of Kentucky Losing the Wrong War; J.Record , U.S. Air Force, Air War College Intelligence Failure in Vietnam; J.Prados , Vietnam Documentation Project, National Security Archive The Economic Causes and Legacies of American Defeat in Vietnam; A.Rotter , Colgate University The Home Front; M.Young , New York University Reflections on a Lost War; L.Gardner , Rutgers University