Why we chose this book
Summers is the strategic historian of the American War in Vietnam, trying to understand the origins of its failure in American strategy. Apart from providing a definitive understanding of American strategy in Vietnam, and a counter-point to General Giap, it provides insights into strategy in general and the application of Clausewitz to contemporary warfare. In many ways, Summers resurrected Clausewitz in U.S. military thinking.
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Question on this book, question on Iraq
Hi
I read this book quite a while ago. Wasn't one of his main points was that the US should have just sealed the South Vietnamese borders and then let ARVN deal with the insurgency? I think he pointed out that UN troops fought at the front during the Korean War where as South Korean forces maintained security behind the lines as well as fighting at the front.
I'm reminded of this point whenever I hear about the Iranians supplying weapons to the Iraqi insurgents. I never hear about US efforts to stem the flow of these weapons by sealing the Iraq/Iran border (I'm sure they're trying). Is there any information or guess on what the percentage of weapons that are being used against US troops are Iranian in origin?
On Strategy a Roadmap for the Iranians
It is a shame that we repeated many of the mistakes of Vietnam in Iraq. It is also clear that our enemies have read it and used it against us.