ABSTRACT
On February 16, 1979, the US President Jimmy Carter called his National Security Council together to discuss the Chinese build-up along the Sino-Vietnamese border.1 The meeting lasted forty-five minutes. The Vice President, the National Security Adviser, the Secretary of State, the Director of Central Intelligence, and the Deputy Secretary of Defense assessed the situation and explored the courses of action available to the US Government. Toward the end of the meeting, President Carter observed that the American leadership had been watching the situation develop “since the first Kampuchea-Vietnam clash.”2 It could only continue to do so. Despite its recent history of engagement in the region, this time Washington was a mere witness to the coming collision, rather than an active participant with the means and motivation to influence its outcome.
