"Value" And "Burden":A Study Of The Diem Coup In 1963 And American Foreign Policy Towards The South Vietnam

The US-South Vietnam alliance during the Kennedy period played a dual role of containing both the Soviet Union and China.The function of the alliance to contain communism and regulate allies' behavior was vividly reflected by the United States' policy on the regime.This article interprets the U.S.policy toward Diem's internal and external behaviors,reveals the dual nature of the regime's “value” and “burden” in the eyes of US policy makers,and further analyzes the US's dual goals of national security and institutional competition in the context of the Cold War.The dilemma of decision-making is between curbing communism and regulating the behavior of allies.This article is divided into four chapters.The first chapter mainly focuses on the United States' policy towards South Vietnam at the beginning of Kennedy's coming to power.During this period,the United States decided to continue to support the Diem government and regulate the internal and external conduct of the Diem government.The second chapter describes the initial emergence of the crisis of Diem's regime.After the emergence of the contradictions between the United States and South Vietnam in the media issues and the anti-insurgency plan,Diem's regime has formed the dual characteristics of “value” and “burden” in the eyes of US policymakers.The third chapter discusses Buddhist crisis and the change of American policy towards Diem's government.In the process of the escalation of the Buddhist crisis,disputes over "value" and "burden" recurred,reinforcing the dilemma of US policy choices.The fourth chapter reproduces the fall of Diem's regime and the role of the United States in it.Because the political actions of the reactionary dictatorship severely weakened or even undermined its own ruling basis,the Diem regime was ultimately collapse.