Vietnam War

－Another challenge from Radical Nationalism－

Ideas which brought US intervention

1. Truman Doctrine (Cold War Dichotomy) (contain Soviet geopolitical expansion)
2. Domino Theory←Lessons of 30s

Why 60s?
1950s: Impulse and restraints
1950 Korean War and aid to France (Leaning toward Cold War Dichotomy)
1954 The battle over Diem Bien Phu

3 conditions for intervention

① multilateralism
② domestic support
③ French colonialism
→anti-colonialism (understanding for nationalism)

1954 Geneva Agreement

①division and general election for unification, ② French withdrawal
←non-recognition by US

1960s: Arrogance of Power

50s Failure of nation-building (Strategic & Developmental Assistance) (nature of regime)
1963 The fall of Ngo Dinh Diem←arrogance of power

1964 Tonkin Gulf incident → beginning of bombing

Three conditions for US intervention

① multilateralism → unilateralism
②domestic support → manipulation of Congress
→Arrogance of Power→ Imperial Presidency
③F r e n c h c o l o n i a l i s m → T h e y Da or me i an la rn ec ae d yo f a lC l o lg do nW
Dichotomy)

1968 Tet offensive

1968,3 On march 16, 1968 a mass massacre took place in S on My (My Lai) village, S on
Tinh district, Quang Ngai province. 504 people were killed.
1968 Johnson stopped bombing and gave up his reelection
1973 Paris armistice agreement
1975 Fall of Saigon & Unification
Why did US fail militarily?
① limits of strategic bombing
② race(nationalism) or ideology (Cold War Dichotomy)
③ importance of not only military but also political aspect of war
→ Hearts & Minds (nationalism)

Evaluation for the US intervention

①Myth of monolithic communism (myth of Cold War Dichotomy)
②No geographical priority (myths of domino & lessons of 30s)
③Communism, but nationalism as well
④Failed Experiment of democracy (nature of regime)
⑤Arrogance of Power
⑥Disregard for domestic support (Imperial Presidency)

Vietnam War (summary)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zv7bkqt/revision/2

https://www.fpri.org/article/2017/04/united-states-went-war-vietnam/
Rather than identifying one starting point, it is more accurate to understand U.S. intervention
in Vietnam as a gradual process. It involved economic aid, political and military advisors,
and boots on the ground. All of the key moments in the process emerged from diff
contexts and the thinking of various players, but there were three threads that unified them:
communism, the Cold War, and credibility. Understanding the role of communism requires
pl a c in g Vi et n am i n a re g io na l c o nt e xt an d e xa m i ni ng S ou th e as t A si
c o m m u n i s m . A r e g i o n a l a p p r o a c h t o t h e Vi e t n a m Wa r i s i m p o r t a n t b e c a u s e U . S . - Vi e t n a
r e l a t i o n s a n d t h e Vi e t n a m Wa r d i d n o t o c c u r i n a v a c u u m . T h e g l o b a l c
important because Cold War tensions between the U.S., the Soviet Union, and China also
s h a p e d e v e n t s r e l a t e d t o t h e Vi e t n a m Wa r. A t t h e s a m e t i m e t h a t w e m
Vietnamese and Southeast Asian agency regarding the conflict, we also must acknowledge
t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e o f C o l d Wa r s u p e r p o w e r r i v a l r i e s a n d d e c i s i o n m a k i n g t o h o
played out. Concerns about credibility motivated U.S. policymakers to commit
money, materiel, and troops to Vietnam, lest allies lose faith in American resolve to build a
global democratic bulwark against communism and adversaries hear threats ring hollow.
The context of decolonization helps explain regional Southeast A
communism. As local activists and political leaders established newly independent countries
out of Europe’s former colonial empires, the U.S., the Soviet Union, and China saw these
new nations as potential allies and hoped to draw as many as possible into their respective
orbits. It mattered whether the new countries established communist or no
governments. Vietnam’s history offers a case study of decolonization in action.

What US learned from Vietnam War

https://www.e-ir.info/2020/02/21/has-the-us-learned-from-its-experience-in-the-vietnam-
war/