Synopses & Reviews
.Through the lenses of history this important book probes the events in Southeast Asia in the thirty years after 1945. This book compiles the most current scholarly interpretations on the causes and outcome of the Vietnam War. The contributors reflect on and discuss various aspects of the Vietnam conflicts and clear away many of the misconceptions and myths that still surround the wars. They try to understand how and why events in Southeast Asia happened as they did, and the impact they had both regionally and globally. A useful reference for any scholar of the Vietnam War,
The Vietnam War as History will appeal to the general reader as well, particularly those who served in Vietnam.
The chapters offer a diverse set of approaches of the war. Many of the contributors disagree philosophically on the causes and nature of the conflict. Some--Thomas Cubbage and Harry Summers--write from their personal involvement in the war. Others take a more detached view. And still others seek to provide further insight into some of the twisted questions that surrounded the conflict. All are united in their attempts to come to terms with the wars in Vietnam as a distinct historical event.
Synopsis
Through the lenses of history this important new book probes the events in Southeast Asia in the 30 years after 1945. The contributors reflect on and discuss various aspects of the Vietnam conflicts and clear away many of the misconceptions and myths which still surround the wars.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [187]-190).
About the Author
ELIZABETH JANE ERRINGTON is an American historian, teaching American foreign policy at the Royal Military College of Canada.B.J.C. McKERCHER is an international and diplomatic historian in Anglo-American Relations who teaches at the Royal Military College of Canada.
Table of Contents
Introduction by B.J.C. McKercher and E.J. Errington
The Vietnam Analogy and the "Lessons" of History by George C. Herring
The First Vietnam War: Aftershocks in the East by Peter M. Dunn
The 1954 Geneva Conference: After a Decent Interval by James Cable
The Origins of American Intervention in Vietnam by George McT. Kahin
Laos: The Escalation of a Secret War by Sandra Taylor
Intelligence and the Tet Offensive: The South Vietnamese View of the Threat by Tom L. Cubbage III
Battles at Home and Abroad: The Influence of Lyndon Johnson's Press Relations on the War in Vietnam by Kathleen J. Turner
Canada, Peacemaking and the Vietnam War: Where Did Ottawa Go Wrong? by Douglas A. Ross
The Last Years of the War: A Personal View by Harry G. Summers, Jr.
Afterword: Vietnam the Never Ending War by Nancy Bernkopf Tucker
Selected Bibliography
Index