Thompson Werk » America

Additional Dissertation Thoughts

Robert — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:59:37 +0000

Recently I discussed three possible dissertation topics. In the short time since that post, I have put more thought into exploring the North Vietnam’s 1968 Test Offensive from a multinational perspective. The legacy of Tet ’68 is a controversial topic in Vietnam War historiography, with orthodox scholars viewing the offensive as a significant defeat for US forces in Vietnam. Lately, I have been wondering if Australia saw Tet ’68 as a defeat, or a victory. More importantly, what role did Australian forces play in pushing back North Vietnam Army and Viet Cong troops? Ultimately I want to demonstrate the Vietnam War as conflict with global repercussions and not purely as an American war. Doing so might help place Tet ’68, and perhaps the entire Vietnam War, into a Pacific history perspective. Again, this is just the initial thought process and nothing concrete. I will write a post on Tet ’68 once I have a firmer grasp on the offensive and it’s legacy.

Dissertation Thoughts

Robert — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:38:55 +0000

At some point during this semester my dissertation topic must be narrowed down into an original research project. In the most basic sense, my dissertation will deal with the relationship between the United States and Australia during the Vietnam War. Wanting to better understand how the US Army and the Australian forces in Vietnam worked together is not groundbreaking. Ideally, I would like to demonstrate that the Vietnam War was not just a US issue, but rather a conflict that tested America’s relationship with the Commonwealth, particularly Australia. As a result, I need a new angle to examine the military relations between the two Allies.

Australian soldiers being airlifted by US helicopters

While the Vietnam War is the most pronounced topic of my dissertation, the research must examine more than just armies. One idea requires looking at the how the US Military Assistance Command (MACV) and the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) differed in how they advised and trained elements of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Moreover, did ARVN units trained by Americans perform better, or worse, than those trained by Australians? Following-up on that question, what possible controversies emerged from Australia’s training programs? A second idea involves studying the fallout from North Vietnam’s 1968 Tet Offensive. Did the Tet Offensive affect the two Allies differently? Also, did one nation respond better to the attack? A third research possibility involves comparing the legacies of the Vietnam War from American and Australian perspectives. How do the two nations look back at the war and how has the war affected current military-civilian relations? Perhaps there is a way to combine all three of these ideas into a wider examination of the Vietnam War? Additionally, these ideas may lack substantial originality. These are just the ideas that I have come-up with thus far, so a good deal of development remains to be done.

Haiti and American Intervention

Robert — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:22:20 +0000

In light of the recent earthquake in Haiti, and subsequent US military assistance, it seems prudent to revisit some of the previous American forays into the Caribbean nation. Two instances of American intervention that immediately come to mind are President Woodrow Wilson’s 1915 invasion and the 1994 action under President Bill Clinton. These are just two of the many other occurrences of America’s physical display of interest in Haiti. Albeit this interest ranged from economic to humanitarian justifications.

From the US Department of State regarding the 1915 action:

Under interventionist policies of the early 20th century, President Woodrow Wilson sent the United States Marines into Haiti to restore order and maintain political and economic stability in the Caribbean after the assassination of the Haitian President in July of 1915. This occupation continued until 1934.

From the National Defense University regarding the 1994 action:

Operation Uphold Democracy was a U.S.-led, multinational military intervention authorized by the UN to restore the legitimate, democratically-elected government of Haiti to power. Democracy was, at best, a weak concept in Haiti, and it had been almost extinguished by a military coup in 1990. The operation provided the security needed to resume the development of democratic government in Haiti. Uphold Democracy removed the military ruler and demobilized the repressive Haitian army, making the return of Haiti’s president and the transition to a new democratically-elected president in 1996 possible. UNMIH oversaw these elections and the formation of the Haitian National Police (HNP).

Even though I was in the fifth grade at the time, I can recall seeing news reports regarding the 1994 intervention. Perhaps this time around the US can finally help and improve the nation of Haiti and its people.