Description
Book SynopsisNow available in a completely revised and updated second edition,
Vietnam: Explaining America's Lost War is an award-winning historiography of one of the 20
th century's seminal conflicts.
- Looks at many facets of Vietnam War, examining central arguments of scholars, journalists, and participants and providing evidence on both sides of controversies around this event
- Addresses key debates about the Vietnam War, asking whether the war was necessary for US security; whether President Kennedy would have avoided the war had he lived beyond November 1963; whether negotiation would have been a feasible alternative to war; and more
- Assesses the lessons learned from this war, and how these lessons have affected American national security policy since
- Written by a well-respected scholar in the field in an accessible style for students and scholars
Table of ContentsPreface viii
1 From the Streets to the Books: The Origins of an Enduring Debate 1
2 A Necessary War or a Mistaken War? 23
3 "Kennedy Exceptionalism," "Missed Opportunity for Peace," or "Lost Victory?": The Movement toward War, 1961–1965 49
4 The Revisionist Critique of the "Strategy for Defeat": The Clausewitzian Alternative 84
5 The Revisionist Critique of the "Other War": The "Hearts-and-Minds" Prescription for Victory 111
6 The Media and the War: Irresponsible or Balanced Journalism? 133
7 The Tet Offensive: Decisive American Victory or Devastating Loss? 155
8 Nixon–Kissinger and the Ending of the War: A "Lost Victory" or "Neither Peace nor Honor?" 179
9 Conclusion: The War's "Lessons" 209
Bibliography 218
Index 221
