Laotian 'Neutrality
A Fresh look at a Key Vietnam War Blunder
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12258244 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gregory Shaw (corresponding author), G D T Shaw |
| Year | 2002 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 25-56 |
| Publication date | 2002-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Small Wars and Insurgencies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0959-2318 • E-ISSN: 1743-9558 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/714005411 |
| OpenAlex | W2313781144 |
| Language | EN |
To pursue an effective counter-insurgency program in South Vietnam, Laos had to be made secure from North Vietnamese incursion. Yet, President Kennedy was dismayed by the daunting military problem this posed. Averell Harriman assured the President that Laos could be rendered 'neutral', and thus harmless, by diplomatic means negotitated through the Geneva agreements. South Vietnam's President Diem disagreed completely with this direction and won Harriman's enmity in return. Laotian 'neutrality', which was used to cover the elaborate trail system to their Southern insurgents, encouraged Ho Chi Minh and Vo Giap considerably. Laotian 'neutrality' made South Vietnam untenable
Computer security · Economic history · Ho chi minh · Key (lock · Neutrality · Political science · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Vietnam War · Vietnamese · Cambodian History and Society · History · Law · Philosophy · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |