Books

To Build as Well as Destroy: American Nation-Building in South Vietnam

Cornell University Press

This book examines the most comprehensive U.S. nation-building effort in South Vietnam since World War II. It provides detailed analysis of the Office of Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS), covering everything from Washington policy design to village-level implementation.

The research draws from over ten archives, making this a comprehensive case study of an ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful nation-building initiative. The analysis carries contemporary relevance given ongoing U.S. military commitments abroad.

Availability: This book is available as open access through Knowledge Unlatched for free download.

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Endorsements

"An excellent study of the most ambitious pacification and nation-building effort undertaken by the United States during the Vietnam War. With unparalleled detail on pacification efforts, Gawthorpe demonstrates how Washington attempted to translate policy into action at the village level." — Gregory Daddis, Chapman University

"This book demonstrates that Vietnam was no lost victory. Pacification proved to be a failed doctrine, unable to overcome the fundamental political weaknesses of the Saigon regime." — Douglas Porch, Naval Postgraduate School

Transatlantic Storms and Transatlantic Relations: How the UK-US Alliance Weathers Crises

Greg Kennedy and William James (eds.), Georgetown University Press, 2026

Contributor of chapter: "The First World War and the Anglo-American Crisis of 1916"

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U.S. Presidential Elections

Iain Dale (ed.), Biteback Publishing, 2026

Contributor of chapter on the 1916 presidential election.