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36: America’s Undoing in the Vietnam War with Dr. Tom Tunstall Allcock
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Why did America, whose riches and military might dwarfed those of North Vietnam, fail to win the Vietnam War with its allies in the south?
In this episode, Dr. Tom Tunstall Allcock from University of Manchester gives some answers to that question, as well as exploring the war more broadly from an American perspective.
We discuss the pitfalls of the failure of American leadership to properly understand the values of its enemy in the war, its lack of clear purpose and goals through military intervention, its loss of moral authority through backfiring military operations, and unprecedented press coverage of the war which illustrated the horrors of war like never before.
The Vietnam War had a seismic impact on America, undermining trust in American leadership at home and abroad, bringing about unprecedented social unrest, contributing to the demise of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s power and presidency, and costing the lives of tens of thousands of American soldiers.
Whilst it was a staggeringly expensive tragedy, the Vietnam War offers a wealth of learning opportunities for leaders in almost any context.
(Episode recorded on 7th June 2022.)
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