The Tragedy of Vietnam is a brief and accessible text providing a comprehensive overview of the causes and consequences of the Vietnam War. Patrick J. Hearden offers historical background of the conflict and examines its long-term consequences on a regional and global scale. This fifth edition includes expanded discussions of postwar American-Vietnamese relationships and outlines the ways in which the Vietnam War experience has shaped foreign-policy debates in the United States up until the present day.

Patrick J. Hearden is Professor Emeritus of Diplomatic History at Purdue University, U.S.A.