Fifty years since the signing of the Paris Peace Accords signaled the final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam, the war's mark on the Pacific world remains. The essays gathered here offer an essential, postcolonial interpretation of a struggle rooted not only in Indochinese history but also in the wider Asia Pacific region. Extending the Vietnam War's historiography away from a singular focus on American policies and experiences and toward fundamental regional dynamics, the book reveals a truly global struggle that made the Pacific world what it is today. Contributors include: David L. Anderson, Mattias Fibiger, Zach Fredman, Marc Jason Gilbert, Alice S. Kim, Mark Atwood Lawrence, Jason Lim, Jana K. Lipman, Greg Lockhart, S. R. Joey Long, Christopher Lovins, Mia Martin Hobbs, Boi Huyen Ngo, Wen-Qing Ngoei, Nathalie Huynh Chau Nguyen, Noriko Shiratori, Lisa Tran, A. Gabrielle Westcott
Brian Cuddy is lecturer in security studies at Macquarie University. Fredrik Logevall is the Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs and professor of history at Harvard University.
"[This book] is crucial to filling the historiographical void of how US involvement in Vietnam affected the larger Pacific region. By providing a wider scope of the Vietnam War, audiences can more fully understand how and why various nations, many of them just emerging from colonial rule, used US interest in Vietnam for their own gains."--H-War "An excellent, path-breaking study that places the war and its aftermath in its geographical region, thus providing important new insights into its international dimension. It is a noteworthy addition to the large literature on the subject."--Revue francaise de civilisation britannique "I tip my hat to the editors and contributors for such an engaging volume. . . . Cohesive, revealing, and accessibly written, The Vietnam War in the Pacific World enhances our understanding of the Vietnam War's regional ramifications and points toward many avenues in need of further study."--War in History "Truly a comprehensive collection that does what Cuddy and Logevall aimed for; it expands the impact and story of the Vietnam War outside of the domination of the United States-centric historiography. . . . The work's uniqueness, broad themes, and flow make it worthwhile for both graduate and higher-level undergraduate courses."--Journal of Military History "This volume should be on every bookshelf of those who want to learn how a war never starts, progresses, and ends in a vacuum. The essays are accessible, and the diverse approaches and material make it engaging and illuminating."--H-Diplo
