A Tale of Two Quagmires: Iraq, Vietnam, and the Hard Lessons of War (International Studies Intensives)

Is Iraq becoming another Vietnam? Author Kenneth Campbell received a Purple Heart after serving 13 months in Vietnam. He then spent years campaigning to get the US out of the war. Here, Campbell lays out the political similarities of both wars. He traces the chief lessons of Vietnam, which helped America successfully avoid quagmires for thirty years, and explains how neoconservatives within the Bush administration cynically used the tragedy of 9/11 to override the "Vietnam syndrome" and drag America into a new quagmire in Iraq. In view of where the U.S. finds itself today -- unable to stay but unable to leave -- Campbell recommends that America re-dedicate itself to the essential lessons of Vietnam: the danger of imperial arrogance, the limits of military force, the importance of international and constitutional law, and the power of morality. Contents -- Poem: The Invasion Of Grenada / By W.d. Ehrhart -- Forward / Richard Falk -- Preface -- The Great Debate -- No, Iraq Is Not Vietnam! -- Yes, Iraq Is Vietnam! -- The Strategic Essence Of A Quagmire -- The Quagmire Process -- Personal Encounter With A Quagmire -- Philly Corner Boy -- Volunteer For America -- To The 'nam -- Up North -- Down South -- Antiwarrior -- The Vietnam Quagmire -- Entering: Deception About Purpose -- Sinking Deeper: Deception About Progress -- Hitting Bottom: Deception About Methods -- Blocking The Exit: Deception About The Difficulty Of Withdrawal -- The Lessons Of Vietnam -- The Five Schools -- Institutional Prevention -- The Vietnam Syndrome -- Thirty Years Of Success-- -- The Iraq Quagmire -- Entering: Deception About Purpose -- Sinking Deeper: Deception About Progress -- Hitting Bottom: Deception About Methods -- Blocking The Exit: Deception About The Difficulty Of Withdrawal -- Last Exit From Baghdad -- Broken Army -- The Essential Domino Falls -- Any Solution? -- The Wise Men And Women -- The Lessons Of Iraq -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About The Author. Kenneth J. Campbell ; Foreword By Richard Falk. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 113-122) And Index. A close look at the similarities between Vietnam and Iraq by a Vietnam vet, Purple Heart recipient, and antiwar protestor.