Citation
Vong, Sam. 'Assets of War': Strategic Displacements, Population Movements, and the Uses of Refugees during the Vietnam War, 1965-1973
. Journal of American Ethnic History Vol 39, no. 3 (Spring 2020): 75-100. DOI: 10.5406/jamerethnhist.39.3.0075.
Findings
The government of South Vietnam sought to use forcible displacement as a tactic of hearts and minds and a tactic of pacification. By uprooting villagers and moving them from insecure to secure zones and giving them relief assistance, the gov. hoped to transform the nation through economic contributions from these groups, gain their support and create a bulwark against communism while denying the insurgents the ability to gain revenue from taxation. On the pacification front, the gov. strategically resettled some villagers along highways to create human buffer zones. In this way the resettled population would be weaponized. This forced displacement was seen as integral to counterinsurgency. The outcome was negative, however. The practice of uprooting villagers in order to protect them created deep resentment against the gov. because they were forced to leave ancestral lands and leave behind their property. Furthermore, the relief assistance didn't provide them with land to cultivate, contributing to policy failure. Thus, there is no support for the inferred hypothesis that forced displacement helped secure the population's support of the government.
Tags
Lever of Power: Military Lever of Power: Intelligence Lever of Power: Development Method: Qualitative Geoscope: Subnational UN Region: Southeastern Asia DOD Region: INDOPACOM Country: Vietnam Actor: State Target: General Population Type: Article Year: Spring 2020
Research Background
- Research questions
- In what ways were displaced villagers in Vietnam manipulated and co opted as resources of war in a strategy to support the gov. of South Vietnam?
- Hypotheses
- Displaced civilians in Vietnam were transformed into objects of war-making and were deployed as crucial weapons of war to provide support for the government of South Vietnam as a tool of COIN success. (inferred)
Variables or Concepts
- Independent variables & concepts
- Population displacement
- Dependent variables & concepts
- Support of the population
Methodologies
- Qualitative method description
- Case study of population displacements in Vietnam using secondary sources
Time Frame
- Start: 1965
- End: 1973