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September 2006
On Sale: September 18, 2006
224 pages
ISBN: 1586484133
EAN: 9781586484132
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Political
Since the first days of the Iraqi invasion, supporters of
the war have cautioned the public not to view this conflict
as another Vietnam. They rightfully point to many important
distinctions. There is no unified resistance in Iraq. No
political or religious leader has been able to galvanize
opposition to U.S. intervention the way that Ho Chi Minh did
in Vietnam. And it is not likely that 580,000 American
troops will find their way to Iraq. However, there are
two similarities that may dwarf the thousands of
differences. First, in Iraq, like Vietnam, the original
rationale for going to war has been discredited and public
support has dwindled. Second, in both cases the new
justification became building stable societies. There are
enormous pitfalls in America's nation building efforts in
Iraq as there were in Vietnam. But it is the business we now
find ourselves in, and there is no easy retreat from it
morally. As American frustration increases, some policy
makers are making the deadly mistake of approaching problems
in Iraq as if we are facing them for the first time. It is
crucial that we apply the lessons of Vietnam wisely and
selectively. Author Biography: Robert K. Brigham is
the Shirley Ecker Boskey Professor of History and
International Relations at Vassar College. He is author of
numerous books and essays on American foreign relations,
including Argument Without End: In Search of Answers to
the Vietnam Tragedy written with Robert S. McNamara and
James G. Blight.
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