Wednesday, September 22, 2010
REVISING HISTORY
I absorbed the "standard model" of the history of conflict in Vietnam in my youth: the US and, before the US, France, fought a war against national self-determination that was always doomed to failure and that had the result of bringing a communist dictatorship to power. I recently noted here that sources are certainly available that challenge that view in relation to the US war in Vietnam -- for instance, with regard to the military reality of the Tet Offensive of 1968. Last night I read this extremely detailed and well-written article about an event that always serves as a "prologue" to the standard model of pre-fated US military failure, the story of the French defense of Dien Bien Phu. If you're interested in military history, this is an engrossing piece. Even more important, if you're interested in trying to see how the "standard model" came to be defined and how it requires at least bending some pesky facts, taking this second look at Dien Bien Phu is definitely worth the time.
GB, THHotA
posted by Greg 5:37 AM
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