Foreign Policy

The distinguished reporter David Halberstam wrote a powerful book on the American leaders who shaped the Vietnam War. Ironically titled, The Best and the Brightest spoke of the supremely confident policymakers, well-educated and well-intentioned, who led the US into the “tragedy” of that war. 1 Driven by anti-communism, they believed in their country’s superior military power and technology. With limited understanding of nationalism in the Southeast Asian nation, they led the US military ever deeper into the “quagmire” of an escalating conflict. Dismissing criticism, they concealed the war’s worsening realities as well as the flaws in their own strategy.