Why Vietnam Invaded Cambodia: Political Culture & the Causes of War [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Stephen J. Morris (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Morris, an experienced academic and journalist, goes beyond earlier work in this cogent and lucid history. Vietnam invaded Cambodia (on Christmas Day, 1978) in an effort to eliminate the odious Pol Pot regime but instead got involved in a disastrous war with China that threatened to draw in the Soviet Union and the United States. Morris's interest in examining this event is twofold. First, he uses newly available Soviet archives, long-term research, and interviews to chronicle the origins of the war, its roots in the 1930s, and the breakdown of relations between former revolutionary allies. But his larger purpose is to critique contemporary international relations theory as being too narrowly rational. He argues that theories of political culture use leader psychology, the ethic of paranoid regimes, and the international system of Communist nations to explain these wars (and, by extension, others), which were not in any rational national interest. Recommended for university and larger public collections.ACharles Hayford, Evanston, IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
'Morris' book, the research for which spanned more than two decades, is surely the most comprehensive examination of the Vietnamese invasion available ... a wonderful insightful read for those who lived through the era. For the post-Vietnam generation, it provides an excellent background to the politics and ideology of Vietnam today and the Vietnamese view of their role in the region.' Law Society Journal

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Product Details

• Paperback: 315 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804730504
• ISBN-13: 978-0804730501
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,812,548 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly researched and carefully argued, April 19, 2000

By	Nguyen Ngoc Linh (New York, NY. USA.) - See all my reviews

This book is undoubtedly one of the few "must have" books on Vietnam and Cambodia. The author has produced a very carefully argued and superbly researched analysis of the Vietnamese relationship with Cambodia and the Vietnamese relationships with the Soviet Union and China. It shows how our conventional thinking in terms of states only pursuing their national security or economic interests doesn't explain why the Vietnamese and the Khmers Rouges each provoked their larger neighbors (The Khmers Rouges provoked Vietnam and Vietnam provoked China). The idea that the weak can provoke the stronger goes against our "common sense" understanding of how states behave, but it obviously did happen in these cases. Morris also has a very good writing style (I even found the more abstract conceptual discussion in the introduction and conclusion quite easy to follow) and the narrative flows quite nicely. He has also introduced the concept of "hyperMaoism" to explain the outlook of the Khmers Rouges, which is something that I find quite insightful. His research in Soviet archives also brought forth some fascinating revelations, regarding how little the Vietnamese leadership knew and understood about the motives of the Khmers Rouges leaders. And the Soviet documents also bring completely new information on how Vietnam's relations with China broke down during the 1970s. I had read every book published on the Vietnamese communists and the Khmers Rouges, but this book has taught me a lot that I didn't know. The tone of the work is quite dispassionate, and its approach completely objective, as Morris tries to get inside the thinking of all of the parties to the conflict. Highly recommended.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-documented history followed by a bold assessment., January 3, 2000

By	R. ARANT "toun" (Lanesville, Indiana USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A scholarly analysis of the history behind the 1978-89 Vietnamese invasion and occupation of Cambodia, followed by the author's brutally frank assessment of the consequences. As the author states, a final assessment is premature, but recent events do indeed cause the reader to wonder how long the Vietnamese will continue to be pleased with the tactics of its "clients". Readers will also want to review "Falling Out of Touch" by Goscha and Engelbert for another look at historical relations between the Vietnamese and Cambodian communists.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book On Little Known Subject, November 14, 2003

By	Joseph Pacelli (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why Vietnam Invaded Cambodia: Political Culture and the Causes of War (Hardcover)

Steven Morris's work on this book is amazing. I have such a better understanding of the conflict between Cambodia and Vietnam from the early '70s to 1989. North Vietnam, China and the USSR are culpable regarding the victory of Pol Pot in 1975, and not American bombing as so many Stalinists try to claim. N. Vietnam had their eyes on Cambodia all along, but had to buy their time during the conflict with the U.S.