The United States in Vietnam: A Case Study in the Law of Intervention

Vietnam is presently the site of armed conflict between guerrillas and the Diem government. It is clear that the guerrillas have the support of North Vietnam, and that the United States supports Diem. The East-West controversy over Vietnam has brought forth charges by each side that the other has been breaching promises made at Geneva in 1954 and otherwise violating international law.\u27 Although the charges undoubtedly have been motivated in part by desires to make propaganda gains, they have some foundation in law and fact, and they merit objective analysis. While the facts perhaps cannot be fully known by reading only Western publications, one can try to make a legal analysis of the facts available from Western sources in order to see whether the United States is respecting international law in Vietnam. Find original online here: 10.15779/Z38BB7