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.
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View on Cornell University Press
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."
"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."