Assignment:
Nation Building and Insurgency
Addresses the following outcomes:
Analyze US efforts at nation-building in South Vietnam
Examine the growth of insurgency in South Vietnam as well as the links between this insurgency and North Vietnam
As the French vacated Vietnam, the US became the de facto sponsor of the country of South Vietnam. South Vietnam, with a smaller population than its northern counterpart, was, in effect, a Cold War experiment for the United States. As the old colonialist order unraveled after World War II and communism threatened Asia, US policymakers sought to create in South Vietnam an example of how a stable, democratic (or, at the very least, passably democratic) developing country with a market economy could flourish in the postwar world. Indeed, South Vietnam would be one of the first US attempts at nation building in the Cold War.
In activity you will examine both the nation building and growing insurgency that characterizes the era beginning with the Geneva Accords and ending with the final year of the Eisenhower presidency. Prior to completing this discussion activity, be sure to read Chapter 2 in Herring, the Final Declaration of the Geneva ConferencePreview the document, and the Letter from Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh DiemPreview the document.
Craft a post of at least 250 words:
What were the relative strengths and weaknesses of Ngo Dinh Diem as the leader of South Vietnam and what explains the US views of Diem's capabilities over time?
Was the southern insurgency more a product of concerted efforts on the part of North Vietnam or Diem's weaknesses as a leader?
Contemplate the quandary facing Eisenhower during the final years of his second term with relation to Vietnam. In retrospect, what do you think the US should have done differently (if anything) leading up to the end of the Eisenhower years?