The Vietnam War endured for thirty years, cost billions of dollars, and resulted in thousands of Vietnamese, French, and American deaths. Massive American military intervention in Vietnam embroiled America in domestic protests, placed enormous strains on the western alliance, and ultimately required an alteration in U.S. global strategy. The Vietnam War - surveys the causes and course of the war in all its phases - examines the historical controversies surrounding the conflict - reflects on the military, diplomatic, political and cultural legacies of the war - considers the continuing relevance of the war to twenty-first century international conflicts David L. Anderson's concise overview critiques U.S. errors in magnifying the strategic importance of Southeast Asia in the Cold War, and in underestimating the strength of the Vietnamese communist movement.

It is the essential guide to one of the major wars of the twentieth century.