Synopses & Reviews
In this new collection of essays on the Vietnam War, eminent scholars of the Second Indochina 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 U.S.s stance and policies in Vietnam, and refuses to condemn, excuse, or apologize for Americas actions in the conflict. Rather, the contributors think widely and creatively about the varied reasons that may have accounted for the U.S.s failure to defeat the North Vietnamese Army, such as role played by economics in Americas defeat. Other fresh perspectives on the topic include American intelligence failure in Vietnam, the international dimensions of Americas defeat in Vietnam, and the foreign policy of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
Review
"...offer[s] a good deal of fresh thinking about the war..."--Ruud van Dijk, H-World H-Net Reviews
"...it suggests the insights that can be gained by moving beyond the American perspective."--Charles E. Neu, Naval War College Review
"...a fine and well-written study particularly suited for undergraduate and graduate student instruction."--Erik B. Villard, Journal of Military History
"The well-written scholarly essays in this collection concentrate on what North Vietnam did right."--M. O'Donnell, Choice
"A distinguished group of scholars help disentangle the military and political legacies of the Vietnam War. The essays provide explanations for the war's outcome and are sure to provoke further dialogue on these judgments of historical winners and losers." --Professor Larry Berman, author of No Peace No Honor: Nixon, Kissinger and Betrayal in Vietnam ; Director, Universiy of California Washington D.C. Center
"For too long scholars have chewed over the wrong question, ‘why the U.S. lost the Vietnam War, as though the war was ours only to win or lose. The victors obviously had something to do with the outcome. These essays take a fresh and different look by turning the issue on its head. Why the North Won the Vietnam War gives rise to new thinking and some interesting answers. Marc Gilbert's Introduction is an excellent overview, and he and nine other scholars lay out the root causes of North Vietnam's victory. I highly recommend this book." --Joseph L. Galloway, co-author, We Were Soldiers Once...and Young and Triumph Without Victory: The History of the Persian Gulf War
"Marc Jason Gilbert has assembled an impressive group of scholars, each of whom provide well-written and well-informed analyses of the key causes of the failure of American policy in Vietnam." --Dr. Herbert Schandler, Colonel U.S. Army (ret), National Defense University, College of Industrial Warfare; co-author, Argument Without End: In Search of Answers to the Vietnam Tragedy
"What a wonderful collection! The scholars involved define the field and the topics are original. My whole analysis of the war has been refined by the essays in this book. It will be indispensable to those of us working on Vietnam for a long time to come." --Robert Buzzanco, University of Houston
About the Author
Marc Jason Gilbert is professor of history at North Georgia College and State University. His books include
The Vietnam War: Teaching Approaches and Resources ;
The Tet Offensive ; and
The Vietnam War On Campus: Other Voices, More Distant Drums.
Table of Contents
Abbreviations and Acronyms *
Preface - Earl H. Tilford, Jr. *
Introduction - Marc Jason Gilbert * 1.
Victory by Other Means: The Foreign Policy of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam - William J. Duiker * 2.
Fighting Without Allies: The International Dimensions of America's Defeat in Vietnam - George C. Herring * 3.
How America's Own Military Performance in Vietnam Aided and Abetted the "North's" Victory - Jeffrey Record * 4.
How the South Won the American War in Vietnam - Robert K. Brigham * 5.
Impatience, Illusion and Asymmetry: Intelligence in Vietnam - John Prados * 6.
The Cost of Losing the "Other" War - Marc Jason Gilbert * 7.
The Economic Causes and Legacies of the American Defeat in Vietnam - Andrew J. Rotter * 8.
"Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh is Gonna Win!" - Marilyn Young * 9.
Hall of Mirrors - Lloyd C. Gardner * About the Authors * Index