The United States and the Legacy of the Vietnam War (Global Conflict and Security since 1945)

Global Conflict and Security since 1945 seeks fresh historical perspectives to promote the empirical understanding of global conflict and security issues arising from international law, leadership, politics, multilateral operations, weapons systems and technology, intelligence, civil-military relations and societies. The series welcomes original and innovative approaches to the subject by new and established scholars. Possible topics include terrorism, nationalism, civil wars, the Cold War, military and humanitarian interventions, nation-building, pre-emptive attacks, the role of the United Nations and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the national security and defence policies of major states. Events in the world since September 11th 2001 remind us that differences of ideology, religion and values and beliefs held by a group of societies or people affect the security of ordinary peoples and different societies often without warning. The series is designed to deepen our understanding of the recent past and seeks to make a significant contribution to the debates on conflict and security in the major world capitals. In May 2005 a colloquium, 'Thirty Years On: The United States and the Legacy of the Vietnam War 1975-2005', was held at the British Academy in London. I would like to thank Lawrence Freedman, FBA, and Saki Dockrill for their help and advice in organizing this event, together with Michael Reade, assistant secretary for public events, and his colleagues at the Academy who made it possible. The colloquium was the catalyst for this book. Over thirty years ago the last helicopter clattered away from the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon: a symbolic scene in the final drama of the nation's failed intervention in Vietnam. For over thirty years the legacy of the Vietnam War and its impact on American politics and society has been a subject of enduring fascination and controversy. Vietnam's relevance as a cultural reference point is seen clearly in the context of the current debates over Americas 'war on terror' and the continuing war in Iraq. This book brings together leading cultural commentators, critics and historians to offer fresh and important insights into how the experience of the Vietnam War shapes contemporary America. It is essential reading for those who wish to understand the ways in which the reverberations of that conflict continue to echo in America's cultural imagination long after the fighting came to an end Front Matter....Pages i-xii Over Thirty Years....Pages 1-20 The Long Shadow of Vietnam....Pages 21-32 ‘Vietnam’ in the New American Century....Pages 33-50 Apocalypse Now Redux and the Curse of Vietnam....Pages 51-71 Imagining Vietnam: Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried....Pages 72-88 The Vietnam War: (Post-)Colonial Fictional Discourses and (Hi-)Stories....Pages 89-120 King Philip’s Shadow: Vietnam, Iraq and the Indian Wars....Pages 121-142 After the Wars are Over: ‘Lost Cause,’ ‘Noble Cause,’ National Unity and the Presidency....Pages 143-169 Kenny and Me: A Story of War and Friendship....Pages 170-178 Back Matter....Pages 179-192 Vietnam precipitated a crisis in national self-confidence and a breakdown in political consensus out of which new ideological perspectives emerged. This book offers fresh perspectives on a defining event in 'the American Century', examining its historical and political significance and also its continuing cultural relevance.