ABSTRACT
The popular historical understanding of the Vietnam War in the United States is that the conflict was a uniquely American tragedy in which US forces won all of the battles but still lost the war amid a collapse of national will on the home front. In this dominant historical narrative the Vietnamese themselves are often wholly absent or shunted aside. However, a full understanding of America’s failed crusade in Vietnam must investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the South Vietnamese state and military. While Americans could and did win battlefield victories, only South Vietnam could have transformed those victories into a situation of strategic sustainability. Understanding South Vietnam, then, is critical to understanding why the American war there failed.
