Horns of a Dilemma: Vietnam's Indelible Legacy: How the War Changed National Security Policymaking

War on the Rocks

News, Politics

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 21 September 2018

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Half a century later, the Vietnam War continues to shape U.S. foreign policy, from its debates over foreign intervention to the institutions of its military. Why does the war remain such a poignant influence, and what lessons have policymakers, scholars, and the public learned (or failed to learn) from America's disastrous campaign in Southeast Asia? WOTR Managing Editor Usha Sahay had the chance to discuss the legacy of Vietnam with an all-star cast in Austin, Texas.

Transcript

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0:15.0	You are listening to a special episode of The War on the Rocks podcast and Horns of a dilemma. I'm Ushahai, the managing editor of War on the Rocks and I'm here with a fantastic
0:19.3	crew in Austin, Texas. We're here to talk about the legacy of Vietnam for national security policymaking
0:23.8	and American society more generally.
0:26.4	So I'm going to go around the room and introduce our guests starting with my excellent co-host,
0:30.1	Will.
0:31.1	Hi, this is Will Inboden. I'm the Executive Director of the Clements Center for National
0:34.9	Security here at the University of Texas Austin and more importantly for our
0:38.2	purposes the editor-in-chief of the Texas National Security Review.
0:41.4	Hi I'm Mark Lawrence.
0:43.3	I'm an Associate Professor of History here at UT Austin,
0:47.3	and I have written a good deal about Vietnam,
0:50.5	including a couple of books on the subject.
0:53.2	Hi I'm Erin O'Connell I'm a military historian here at the University of Texas and a
0:57.8	faculty fellow at the Clement Center for National Security.
1:00.0	Hi I'm Celeste Ward Gavinter I'm the Associate Director of the Clement Center for National
1:05.0	Security.
1:06.0	All right, well thank you guys all so much for being here.
1:08.8	We're really excited for this conversation.
1:10.9	Will, I want to kick it off with you. Tell us a little bit about your experience
1:15.2	with the legacy of the Vietnam War during your time making policy.
1:19.4	Thanks us just so going back to my time working on the George W Bush Administration National
1:25.8	Security Council staff, I was there on the NSC staff from 2005 to 2007, which many of
	...

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