President Trump’s Asia trip, and renewed popular interest in the Vietnam War (for example, Ken Burns’ highly acclaimed documentary series), present a timely opportunity to deepen the discourse about the history of U.S. involvement in the region. Here are two papers by Richard C. Thornton that discuss the beginnings of post WWII American engagement in Indochina.  They focus particularly on the Eisenhower Administration’s approach to Laos—a linchpin in the struggle for control of Vietnam, and a subject that heretofore has received scant attention. The analyses take into account the larger context of U.S. strategy, especially as it was impacted by the emerging missile contest with the Soviet Union, as well as Sino-Soviet relations, and the disposition of France, the former colonial power. These papers, which will feature in an upcoming issue of the Institute’s Journal of Strategy and Politics, can be accessed here:

Eisenhower and Southeast Asia, Part I:  Building Containment

Eisenhower and Southeast Asia, Part II:  Failure by Choice