Mark Moyar
Encyclopedia
Mark Moyar joined Orbis Operations as Director of Research in July 2010 after serving as a professor at the Marine Corps University
where he held the Kim T. Adamson Chair of Insurgency and Terrorism.http://www.markmoyar.com/About.php Moyar is a self-proclaimed revisionist, known for his writing on the Vietnam War
.
Moyar holds a B.A.
summa cum laude in history from Harvard University
and a Ph.D.
in history from Cambridge University. His articles on historical and current events have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.
Moyar is the author of the 2006 book Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War
, 1954–1965, a history that is considered revisionist
by mainstream American historians. In it he argues that Ngo Dinh Diem
was a very wise and effective leader. Moyar states that supporting the November 1963 coup
was one of the worst American mistakes of the war. The other biggest mistakes according to Moyar were: the failure to cut the Ho Chi Minh trail
, and the United States Congress
' refusal to support the South Vietnam
ese government after the 1973 Paris Peace Accords
were violated, and the refusal of emergency aid to South Vietnam near the end of the war.
Triumph Forsaken caused a great stir and many opinionative reviews, mostly very negative, as well as some positive. In response to the strong reactions it created, Triumph revisited : historians battle for the Vietnam War, a collection of detailed reviews of the book by 15 different academic historians, edited by Andrew Wiest and Michael J. Doidge, was released in 2010. The reviews are attached to responses by Moyar, mostly robust rebuttal of strong criticism of his work.
Marine Corps University
The Marine Corps University reports to the United States Marine Corps Training And Education Command. It was established on August 1, 1989 by General Alfred M...
where he held the Kim T. Adamson Chair of Insurgency and Terrorism.http://www.markmoyar.com/About.php Moyar is a self-proclaimed revisionist, known for his writing on the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Moyar holds a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
summa cum laude in history from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in history from Cambridge University. His articles on historical and current events have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.
Moyar is the author of the 2006 book Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, 1954–1965, a history that is considered revisionist
Historical revisionism
In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event...
by mainstream American historians. In it he argues that Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngô Đình Diệm was the first president of South Vietnam . In the wake of the French withdrawal from Indochina as a result of the 1954 Geneva Accords, Diệm led the effort to create the Republic of Vietnam. Accruing considerable U.S. support due to his staunch anti-Communism, he achieved victory in a...
was a very wise and effective leader. Moyar states that supporting the November 1963 coup
Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngô Đình Diệm was the first president of South Vietnam . In the wake of the French withdrawal from Indochina as a result of the 1954 Geneva Accords, Diệm led the effort to create the Republic of Vietnam. Accruing considerable U.S. support due to his staunch anti-Communism, he achieved victory in a...
was one of the worst American mistakes of the war. The other biggest mistakes according to Moyar were: the failure to cut the Ho Chi Minh trail
Ho Chi Minh trail
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia...
, and the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
' refusal to support the South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
ese government after the 1973 Paris Peace Accords
Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords of 1973 intended to establish peace in Vietnam and an end to the Vietnam War, ended direct U.S. military involvement, and temporarily stopped the fighting between North and South Vietnam...
were violated, and the refusal of emergency aid to South Vietnam near the end of the war.
Triumph Forsaken caused a great stir and many opinionative reviews, mostly very negative, as well as some positive. In response to the strong reactions it created, Triumph revisited : historians battle for the Vietnam War, a collection of detailed reviews of the book by 15 different academic historians, edited by Andrew Wiest and Michael J. Doidge, was released in 2010. The reviews are attached to responses by Moyar, mostly robust rebuttal of strong criticism of his work.
Books
- Phoenix and the Birds of Prey: The CIA's Secret Campaign to Destroy the Viet Cong (1997) ISBN 1557505934
- Republished in 2007 as Phoenix and the Birds of Prey: Counterinsurgency and Counterterrorism in Vietnam with a foreword by Harry SummersHarry G. Summers, Jr.Harry G. Summers, Jr. is best known as the author of the neo-Clausewitzean analysis of the Vietnam War titled, On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War . Summers was an infantry colonel in the United States Army, and had served as a squad leader in the Korean War and as a battalion...
and a new preface and chapter; ISBN 0803216025
- Republished in 2007 as Phoenix and the Birds of Prey: Counterinsurgency and Counterterrorism in Vietnam with a foreword by Harry Summers
- Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War, 1954–1965 (2006) ISBN 0521869110
- A Question of Command: Counterinsurgency from the Civil War to Iraq (2009) ISBN 0300152760
External links
- Book website
- Interview on A Question of Command at the Pritzker Military Library