''A Route for the Enemy To Escape,'' — Hanoi's View of the Ceasefire

Brian Michael Jenkins

Expert InsightsPublished 1973

Although Hanoi views American troop withdrawal as a "victory" for South Vietnam, and the Paris accords as an "escape route" for the Americans, "victory" is not considered conterminous with the end of struggle: reunification of North and South, and the imposition of socialism countrywide, are yet to come. Long-range objectives remain fixed, but can be postponed; plans are flexible enough to explain setbacks and allow policy shifts. While insecurity and heavy defense burdens plague South Vietnam, North Vietnam is emphasizing reconstruction and economic development, growing stronger, hoping to emerge ultimately as Indochina's most powerful nation. Of Hanoi's military buildup in the field, two of many interpretations are: (1) the hawks may be persuing their own course of action, with or without government sanction; (2) contradictory courses may indicate compromise among Hanoi's leaders. Either way, the struggle is not over.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1973
  • Pages: 8
  • Document Number: P-5012

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Jenkins, Brian Michael, ''A Route for the Enemy To Escape,'' — Hanoi's View of the Ceasefire. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1973. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5012.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.