Vietnam and the United States: Reconciliation from a Distant and Bitter War

Vietnam and the United States: Reconciliation from a Distant and Bitter War on ICERM Radio will air Saturday, August 20, 2016 @ 2 PM Eastern Time (New York).

2016 Summer Lecture Series

Theme: “Vietnam and the United States: Reconciliation from a Distant and Bitter War”

Synopsis:

When the American involvement in Vietnam ended in 1975, both countries had bitter wounds from a long war with devastating human and financial costs. It was not until 1995 that the two countries began diplomatic relations, and the signing of the 2000 Bilateral Trade Agreement opened the way for economic relations. However, wounds from the war persist between the U.S. and Vietnam, which include questions about missing U.S. MIA/POWs, and Agent Orange contamination in Vietnam. Additionally, the U.S. sees many problems with human rights violations in Vietnam which still cause friction in relations between the two former enemies. Finally, the question of true reconciliation of war-related issues perhaps does not lie between the U.S. and Vietnam, but within the borders of Vietnam—between those who fought for the victors, and those who fought for a failed cause and were summarily sentenced to harsh and often fatal conditions of the re-education camps.

Guest Lecturer: Bruce C. McKinney, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Communication Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Tune in by calling +1- (323) 642-1236 on Saturday, August 20, 2016 at 2 PM in Eastern Time (New York time, U.S.A.) to listen to the lecture and add your voice to the conversation.