The Study Of American's Laos Policy In The Period Of 1961-1975

Laos, a small country of inland on the Indo-china Peninsula, lies in the center of Southeast Asia, bordered by China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand. After Korea War, because western nations such as America, Japan, South Korea cut off the economic tie with China and tried to contain China, surround China, prevent the Chinese style communism revolution rapidly from spreading to Southeast Asia, which was taken as American, prime strategic benefit in Asia, Southeast Asia became main trade and the raw material market to maintain Japanese and the South Korean economic development. So, Indo-China became particularly important in the containment strategy of U.S A. Laos lies at the intermediate zone between Thailand, as American ally and China, the northern Vietnam, the importance of its geopolitics is shown especially out.Therefore, during the cold war, though Laos is the small country of a shot, it involved in the complexed international political struggles too. The study of American's Laos policy during the cold war fill the margin that study American's Laos policy at home, it means a lot to know the world today to conduct a research on American policy over Laos.The full text are divided into five parts.The first part, this chapter reviews that after the campaign of Dian Bien Phu in 1954, in order to form the ring of encirclement of China, America replaced France and filled in the power vacuum of Indo-China. Eisehower government interfered the internal affairs of Laos and adopted the policy of double containment. He not only wanted to contain the expansion of communism in Laos, but also antagonized the neutralism or nonalignment choice of Laos, he thought neutrality means pro-communism.The second part, this chapter discusses Kennedy government's neutralism policy on Laos. It did not Regard Laos as a war field where America should confront with communism. But the neutralism policy did not mean Kennedy government would give up Laos and connive at communism success in Laos. It was merely a makeshift that Kennedy shouted America supports and understands the so-called real neutrality in Laos. Compared with the situation that Eisehower government antagonized neutralism, the neutrality policy is only a means that is a bit more temperate, with the same purpose that make Laos pro-west and prevent Laos from turning from neutrality to pro-communism.The third part, this chapter mainly discusses Johnson government's obscure action policy and decision in Laos. As America became involved in the "Vietnam War, which resulted in the shortage of the manpower and financial resources, the obscure action policy which America had implemented in Laos basically reflected Laos role in the reality of strategy of America in Indo-China, that is, Laos was only a second important area.The fourth part mainly discusses how Nixon's policy was implemented and what resulted in Laos. As America shrinked strategically in Indo-China, Laos became the main part of Nixon's Vietnam policy. For this reason, Nixon strengthened the action in Laos. The failure in Laos of Nixon's policy is the failures of power politics and hegemonism and such failure is inevitable.The fifth part, through the analysis and discussion above, we can know that there are three main characteristics of American policy on Laos over 20 years: namely disguise, the variety of intervening, continuity and difference of means.Conclusion. American's Laos policy was a main part of the whole Indo-China policy of America, which reflected a basic cold-war strategy, that is, containment strategy. At the same time such containment strategy developed and means neutralism containing. The failures which America had intervened Laos reflected National Liberation Movement highly excited after the war is irresistible, at the same time, the failures of power politics and hegemonism are also inevitable. Today when Cold war has ended, out-of-date mentality of Cold War must be abandoned, while the new idea of the international peace and security maintainance should be established. This is the conclusion we can draw...