Iraq and the Lessons of Vietnam: Or, How Not to Learn from the Past

By: John Prados and Andrew J. Bacevich and Christian G. Appy and David Elliott and Gabriel Kolko and Alex Danchev and Wilfried Mausbach and Walter LaFeber and Alfred W. McCoy and Gareth Porter and Elizabeth L. Hillman

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into Bookshare to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: Essays by Christian G. Appy, Andrew J. Bacevich, John Prados, and others offer &“history at its best, meaning, at its most useful.&” —Howard Zinn From the launch of the &“Shock and Awe&” invasion in March 2003 through President George W. Bush&’s declaration of &“Mission Accomplished&” two months later, the war in Iraq was meant to demonstrate definitively that the United States had learned the lessons of Vietnam. This new book makes clear that something closer to the opposite is true—that US foreign policy makers have learned little from the past, even as they have been obsessed with the &“Vietnam Syndrome.&” Iraq and the Lessons of Vietnam brings together the country&’s leading historians of the Vietnam experience. Examining the profound changes that have occurred in the country and the military since the Vietnam War, this book assembles a distinguished group to consider how America found itself once again in the midst of a quagmire—and the continuing debate about the purpose and exercise of American power. Also includes contributions from: Alex Danchev * David Elliott * Elizabeth L. Hillman * Gabriel Kolko * Walter LaFeber * Wilfried Mausbach * Alfred W. McCoy * Gareth Porter &“Essential.&” —Bill Moyers