A Peace That Couldn’t Last – Negotiating the Paris Accords on Vietnam
February 2025
Commentary
Unsolicited Thoughts on How the New Administration Can Improve American Diplomacy by Raymond F. Smith
Biden’s Troubled Foreign Policy Legacy by P. Michael McKinley
Communicating with the People or with the Leadership Elite? A Diplomatic Juggling Act by Charles Ray
India: Strategic Partner or Global Challenger? Keith McCormick and Audrey Straw
How to Fix the Peace Corps by Thomas Brodey
Eyewitness
Bohlen’s Dictum: First, Be There by Thomas E. McNamara
A Subdued “Last Hurrah” for the (former) Soviet Union in Romania by Jonathan Rickert
Select Eyewitness Stories by Theme
The Student Corner
Reframing Partnerships with America in the Wake of Trump’s Re-election by Christian Miller
Moments in Diplomacy
Winston Lord describes the extended, secret negotiations that eventually led to the 1973 Paris Accords, the agreement intended to end the war in Vietnam for which Henry Kissinger received the Nobel Peace Prize. None of the parties fully lived up to their commitments and the war finally ended with the North’s military conquest of the South.
Links
Charles Kupchan traces the history of American exceptionalism through three phases: the isolationism that dominated US policy until the 1940s; the Pax Americana that morphed into imperial overreach in the current century; and the current need, demonstrated by the appeal of President Trump’s brand of isolationism, for a new formulation of the concept.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/clash-exceptionalisms
The current (January-February 2025) issue of the Foreign Service Journal focuses on the timely issue of presidential transitions, sharing the experiences and perspectives of foreign affairs professionals who have observed and participated in them.
https://afsa.org/foreign-service-journal
From Our Archives
Among President Carter’s many charitable and humanitarian activities after he left the presidency, his foundation played a key role in the virtual eradication of the guinea worm parasite in Africa.
https://americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu/2023/05/the-guinea-worm-president-carter-and-me/
Three articles from our archives, despite the significant recent changes on the ground in the Middle East, offer still relevant insights for possible Western foreign policy going forward toward Syria, Lebanon, and Iran.
Abdallah Al Dardari proposes steps for the remaking of Syria.
https://americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu/2017/01/making-peace-in-syria-economic-diplomacy/
Imad K. Harb’s analyzes the stakes in Western interaction with Lebanon.
https://americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu/2021/05/why-the-u-s-should-help-prevent-lebanons-collapse/
Alon Ben-Meir examines the dangers of pursuing mutually destructive policies vis-à-vis Iran.
https://americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu/2019/05/preventing-an-israeil-iran-war/