Modern Melos: Why the U.S. Initiative to Develop the U.S.-Vietnam Relationship into an Anti-China Partnership Will Fail

Abstract

The United States has made much of the rapid progress in its relationship with Vietnam since normalizing relations in 1995. Washington's optimistic view of Hanoi is that of regional partner with converging diplomatic, economic, and security interests. However, the true impetus for the U.S.-Vietnam entente is Southeast Asia security, specifically U.S. efforts to sustain its post-WWII preeminence in the region and incorporate a rising China into the existing international framework. There are limits to the budding U.S.-Vietnam friendship. Those limits will work against Department of Defense efforts to strengthen military-to-military ties with Vietnam thereby hindering the U.S. strategic objective: aligning Vietnam against Chinese aggression in a U.S. led 'constainment coalition'.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 20, 2015
Accession Number
AD1178603

Entities

People

  • Christopher I. Johnson

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Asia
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Foreign Relations
  • Geography
  • Humanitarian Assistance
  • Marine Corps
  • Maritime Security
  • Military Education
  • Military Science
  • New York
  • Security
  • South China Sea
  • Southeast Asia
  • Training
  • United States
  • United States Pacific Command

Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.