Book contents
- East Asia and the Modern International Order
- East Asia and the Modern International Order
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Introduction
- Part II The Imperial Era
- Part III To the Pacific War
- Part IV The High Cold War in Asia
- 10 The Division of Korea
- 11 The Taiwan Straits Crises Revisited
- 12 Alliances, State-Building, and Development in Asia
- 13 Credibility and the US Intervention in Vietnam in the Era of Incomplete US Hegemony
- 14 Nationalism and Anglo-American Neo-colonialism in Southeast Asia, 1945–1965
- 15 Mandates, Trusteeship, and Decolonization in the North Pacific: Balancing Self-Determination, Development, and Security
- Part V Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
13 - Credibility and the US Intervention in Vietnam in the Era of Incomplete US Hegemony
from Part IV - The High Cold War in Asia
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 November 2025
Book contents
- East Asia and the Modern International Order
- East Asia and the Modern International Order
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Introduction
- Part II The Imperial Era
- Part III To the Pacific War
- Part IV The High Cold War in Asia
- 10 The Division of Korea
- 11 The Taiwan Straits Crises Revisited
- 12 Alliances, State-Building, and Development in Asia
- 13 Credibility and the US Intervention in Vietnam in the Era of Incomplete US Hegemony
- 14 Nationalism and Anglo-American Neo-colonialism in Southeast Asia, 1945–1965
- 15 Mandates, Trusteeship, and Decolonization in the North Pacific: Balancing Self-Determination, Development, and Security
- Part V Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter revisits the role of prestige and credibility in the US decision to intervene in Vietnam in 1965. Why was the Johnson administration so concerned about losing prestige and credibility in Southeast Asia when the United States was widely acknowledged as the regional hegemon? This chapter argues that US hegemony in East Asia in the 1950s and 1960s was incomplete both in terms of its reach and “buy in” by key actors. That incompleteness in turn predisposed America’s leaders to place a premium on maintaining US prestige and credibility in the region and on the world stage. The imperative of protecting US reputation as a “guarantor” became a principal cause of the Johnson administration’s decision to fight in Vietnam in 1965. One implication of this argument is that the role of prestige and credibility concerns in shaping US decision-making is not a constant, it varies with the extent of US hegemony.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- East Asia and the Modern International OrderFrom Imperialism to the Cold War, pp. 242 - 259Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.1 AA
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The HTML of this chapter
complies with version 2.1 of the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), covering newer accessibility requirements and improved
user experiences and achieves the intermediate
(AA)
level of WCAG compliance, covering a wider range of accessibility requirements.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Visual Accessibility
Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
Structural and Technical Features
ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.