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A review by ethanhedman
The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam by Barbara W. Tuchman
3.0
Tuchman analyzes why various governments have pursued policy that has contradicted that government’s self interest. She uses as examples: The decision of the rulers of Troy to bring in the wooden horse, the various Popes that brought about the reformation, the aloofness of the British empire in allowing the 13 American colonies to slip away, and US hubris before and during its war in Vietnam.
I struggled with what bothered me about this book in the last section on the American war in Vietnam, and I think if I had to pinpoint one sentiment it would be that Tuchman is too much a victim of her having lived as a good-faith participant in the American project during the time of the American war in Vietnam. While there is scant mention of the millions of Vietnamese, Cambodian, or Laotian civilians that died during the two decades the US was at war in Southeast Asia, this is not unique for the field of western history on this conflict. What is worth noting is that in the last section, unlike the previous sections which analyze cases in which the US is not the one exhibiting folly and during which Tuchman was not alive, there is somewhat of an absence of the notion that the system -the shining city on a city- is rotten, and not just the manipulative, ruthless, and selfish that seek power in society. Perhaps it feels too apart of its own time, as it was published in 1985, when we didn’t yet realize how insane our war in Vietnam had made us - though to give credit to Tuchman, she does hint at the cause of this insanity.
Ok I've moved to 4 stars because I do recognize that the book consistently takes an individual level of analysis, but the absence of any system level of analysis when talking about post-war American foreign policy requires it.
I struggled with what bothered me about this book in the last section on the American war in Vietnam, and I think if I had to pinpoint one sentiment it would be that Tuchman is too much a victim of her having lived as a good-faith participant in the American project during the time of the American war in Vietnam. While there is scant mention of the millions of Vietnamese, Cambodian, or Laotian civilians that died during the two decades the US was at war in Southeast Asia, this is not unique for the field of western history on this conflict. What is worth noting is that in the last section, unlike the previous sections which analyze cases in which the US is not the one exhibiting folly and during which Tuchman was not alive, there is somewhat of an absence of the notion that the system -the shining city on a city- is rotten, and not just the manipulative, ruthless, and selfish that seek power in society. Perhaps it feels too apart of its own time, as it was published in 1985, when we didn’t yet realize how insane our war in Vietnam had made us - though to give credit to Tuchman, she does hint at the cause of this insanity.
Ok I've moved to 4 stars because I do recognize that the book consistently takes an individual level of analysis, but the absence of any system level of analysis when talking about post-war American foreign policy requires it.