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Between 1954 and 1963, President Ngo Dinh Diem, against great odds
but with U.S. assistance, built a functioning South Vietnamese
state. But gravely misled by American journalists in Saigon, the
U.S. embassy, in league with second-tier members of the State
Department, urged certain South Vietnamese generals to stage a coup
against Diem, resulting in his brutal murder. Despite the
instability after Diem's murder, the South Vietnamese Army
performed well during the 1968 Tet Offensive and the 1972 Easter
Offensive. In proportion to population, South Vietnamese Army
losses were much greater than American losses. Nevertheless, the
American media ignored South Vietnamese sacrifices, and completely
misrepresented the consequences of the Tet Offensive. The
disastrous "peace agreement" the U.S. forced on the South
Vietnamese in 1973 made continuing American support vital. But
Congress began to slash aid to South Vietnam, so that its soldiers
had to fight on with dwindling supplies of fuel, ammunition, and
medicine. Under these circumstances, the South Vietnamese attempted
to regroup their army into the provinces around Saigon, an effort
that ended in disaster. The final chapter reflects on the meaning
of the conflict and the tragedy that abandonment by Washington and
conquest by Hanoi brought upon the South Vietnamese people. An
Appendix presents a strategy for preserving a South Vietnamese
state with the commitment of a relatively small number of U.S.
forces.
" Click here to read a chapter from this book A Choice
Outstanding Academic Title for 2002 From South Carolina to South
Vietnam, America's two hundred-year involvement in guerrilla
warfare has been extensive and varied. America and Guerrilla
Warfare analyzes conflicts in which Americans have participated in
the role of, on the side of, or in opposition to guerrilla forces,
providing a broad comparative and historical perspective on these
types of engagements. Anthony James Joes examines nine case
studies, ranging from the role of Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, in
driving Cornwallis to Yorktown and eventual surrender to the U.S.
support of Afghan rebels that hastened the collapse of the Soviet
Empire. He analyzes the origins of each conflict, traces American
involvement, and seeks patterns and deviations. Studying numerous
campaigns, including ones staged by Confederate units during the
Civil War, Joes reveals the combination of elements that can lead a
nation to success in guerrilla warfare or doom it to failure. In a
controversial interpretation, he suggests that valuable lessons
were forgotten or ignored in Southeast Asia. The American
experience in Vietnam was a debacle but, according to Joes,
profoundly atypical of the country's overall experience with
guerrilla warfare. He examines several twentieth-century conflicts
that should have better prepared the country for Vietnam: the
Philippines after 1898, Nicaragua in the 1920s, Greece in the late
1940s, and the Philippines again during the Huk War of 1946-1954.
Later, during the long Salvadoran conflict of the 1980s, American
leaders seemed to recall what they had learned from their
experiences with this type of warfare. Guerrilla insurgencies did
not end with the Cold War. As America faces recurring crises in the
Balkans, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and possibly Asia, a
comprehensive analysis of past guerrilla engagements is essential
for today's policymakers.
Insurgencies, especially in the form of guerrilla warfare, continue
to erupt across many parts of the globe. Most of these rebellions
fail, but Four Rebellions that Shaped Our World analyzes four
twentieth-century conflicts in which the success of the insurgents
permanently altered the global political arena: the Maoists in
China against Chiang Kai-shek and the Japanese in the 1930s and
1940s; the Viet Minh in French Indochina from 1945 to 1954;
Castro's followers against Batista in Cuba from 1956 to 1959; and
the mujahideen in Soviet Afghanistan from 1980 to 1989. Anthony
James Joes illuminates patterns of failed counterinsurgencies that
include serious but avoidable political and military blunders and
makes clear the critical and often decisive influence of the
international setting. Offering provocative insights and timeless
lessons applicable to contemporary conflicts in Iraq and
Afghanistan, this authoritative and comprehensive book will be of
great interest to policy-makers and concerned citizens alike.
In Resisting Rebellion, Anthony James Joes explores insurgencies
ranging across five continents and spanning more than two
centuries. Analyzing examples from North and South America, Europe,
Africa, and the Middle East, he identifies recurrent patterns and
offers useful lessons for future policymakers. Insurgencies arise
from many sources of discontent, including foreign occupation,
fraudulent elections, and religious persecution, but they also stem
from ethnic hostilities, the aspirations of would-be elites, and
traditions of political violence. Because insurgency is as much a
political phenomenon as a military one, effective counterinsurgency
requires a thorough understanding of the insurgents' motives and
sources of support. Clear political aims must guide military action
if a counterinsurgency is to be successful and prepare a lasting
reconciliation within a deeply fragmented society. The most
successful counterinsurgency campaign undertaken by the United
States was the one against Philippine insurgents following the
Spanish-American War. But even more instructive than successful
counterinsurgencies are the persistent patterns of errors revealed
by Joes's comparative study. Instances include the indiscriminate
destructiveness displayed by the Japanese in China and the Soviets
in Afghanistan, and the torture of suspected Muslim terrorists by
members of the French Army in Algeria. Joes's comprehensive twofold
approach to counterinsurgency is easily applied to the U.S. The
first element, developing the strategic basis for victory,
emphasizes creating a peaceful path to the redress of legitimate
grievances, committing sufficient troops to the counterinsurgent
operation, and isolating the conflict area from outside aid. The
second element aims at marginalizing the insurgents and includes
fair conduct toward civilians and prisoners, systematic
intelligence gathering, depriving insurgents of weapons and food,
separating insurgent leaders from their followers, and offering
amnesty to all but the most incorrigible. Providing valuable
insights into a world of conflict, Resisting Rebellion is a
thorough and readable exploration of successes and failures in
counterinsurgency's long history and a strategy for the future.
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