"World Order After Viet Nam"
Webinar presentation by Dr. Richard Falk, comment by Dr. Christian Appy
Monday, January 26
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Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee
Cosponsors
- The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Institute for Policy Studies, Washington D.C.
Richard Falk is Albert G.
Milbank Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University where
he was an active member of the faculty for 40 years (1961-2001). Chair
of Global Law, Faculty of Law, at Queen Mary University London(2021-2025).
Falk served as UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Occupied
Palestine (2008-2014). His most recent books written in collaboration
with Hans von Sponeck are Liberating the UN: Realism with Hope(2024); Genocide
in Gaza: Global Voices of Conscience co-edited with Ahmet Davutoglu and Patriotism
to the Earth written in association with Sasha Milonova (2025). His
memoir, Public Intellectual: The Life of a Citizen Pilgrim was
published in 2021. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several
times since 2008. He currently serves as President of the Gaza Peoples Tribunal.
Christian
Appy is director of the Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy and a
professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he has
received the Chancellor’s Medal, the Distinguished Teaching Award, and the
Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award. He is the author of three books about the
Vietnam War--American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National
Identity (Viking, 2015), Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All
Sides (Viking, 2003), and Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and
Vietnam (University of North Carolina Press, 1993). He is currently working
on a book about Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.
CHAT
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19:42:57 From Todd Pierce to Hosts and panelists : Kudos to Richard for calling out “Realism” for what it actually is, as the militaristic doctrine behind the US attack on Venezuela, to include the “Diplomacy of Violence” as Thomas Schelling promoted back in the day for US aggression during the Cold War. Unfortunately, prominent antiwar activists in their ignorance have adopted and amplified Realist doctrine while falsely promoting it as good for “Peace,” while being too stupid to recognize it as the “theory” behind “Realpolitik,” so popular in Germany 1933-1945, in pursuit of Germany’s “interests” in Poland, France, the USSR, etc. As Stephen Miller makes a point of, we’re doing the same in the many countries we are conquering, “Pursuing our interests,” as defined by us. Hardly conducive to “Peace.”
19:46:00 From Susan Scott to Hosts and panelists : Is Richard’s talk being recorded so we can send it on to others?
19:48:13 From Todd Pierce to Hosts and panelists : My only quibble with Richard is his reference to “NeoCons,” when in fact, something even more ruthless and horrible is the Right’s ideology now, “National Conservatism,” rhymes with National Socialism. With it combining Traditional Conservative with Israeli Settler Yoram Hazony’s National Conservatism. To be ignorant of that by now is to epitomize the “banality of evil” that Hannah Arendt warned us of. Here is a brief synopsis of National Conservatism: https://apnews.com/article/national-conservativism-conference-schmitt-a27e3b489dcf768dbebfc927f5e4a1d0. Quote: “Donald Trump’s victory was not just a win for his movement but for the ideas of the people in this room,” Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt told the crowd. “National conservatism is an idea whose time has arrived.”
19:49:13 From Jim Barton to Hosts and panelists : I wish that my hope of global democracy in 2009, when Twitter seemed to promise a global community of democracy, came true. One thing I'll note that in 1937, with the rape of Nanking and the bombing of Guernica, looked very dark; but in 1945, there was a flowering of internationalism.
20:01:34 From William Tam to Hosts and panelists : What role do you see for targeted and selective general strikes?
20:01:47 Canadian PM at Davos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btqHDhO4h10
20:03:18 From Mike S Goodman to Hosts and panelists : We shouldn't forget that Ike's "military-industrial complex" address was made exactly two weeks after he broke diplomatic relations with Cuba!
20:03:41 From John McAuliff : Vietnam’s Leader Consolidates Power, Pledging ‘New Era of Prosperity’
To Lam, the head of Vietnam’s Communist Party, will also become president of the nation. His new stature comes with new risks.
By Damien Cave and Tung Ngo
Reporting from Hanoi, Vietnam
Jan. 23, 2026
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/world/asia/vietnam-lam-power-congress.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HVA.8a2P.xKj7W2WRijBp&smid=url-share
20:04:14 From Terry Murray to Hosts and panelists : Richard Falk - As a Canadian, I apologize for your treatment when entering the country. -Terry Murray, Toronto
20:06:08 From Robert Shaffer to Hosts and panelists : And that NYT article on Vietnam today quoted Hai Hong Nguyen, who appeared on a VPCC webinar in March 2025.
20:06:59 From Mark Pavlick to Hosts and panelists : https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(25)00278-5/fulltext
20:07:57 From Joe Volk to Hosts and panelists : Richard and Chris, Many thanks for your in depth analysis and insights. Much appreciated — Joe Volk
20:10:28 From Paul Hubers to Hosts and panelists : How might the World BEYOND War movement in, say, the U.S. & India make a difference?
20:10:30 From Todd Pierce to Hosts and panelists : Here are the main ideologists of National Conservatism: https://www.vox.com/21355993/trump-israel-yoram-hazony-nationalism-tikvah, and Willmoore Kendall of the 1950s Conservative Movement with William Buckley , James Burnham, Brent Bozell, and Frank S. Meyer, all admirers of Fascism and promoters of it, while calling it “Conservatism” instead of Fascism, but identical by the political theory of each: https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/07/willmoore-kendall-writing-relevant-to-modern-conservatism-populism/. Remaining ignorant of this is akin to those who chose not to pay attention to the political theory behind Mein Kampf.
20:15:18 From jerry simotas to Hosts and panelists : The obsession with Trump to the exclusion of democrat/liberal corruption and belligerence does nothing to improve or grow the moribund peace movement which collapsed with the election of Obama, hardly a champion of peace having launched 7 invasions in all 8 years of his presidency. The "peace" activists caved in to Obama showing the weakness of their resolve.. As a veteran for peace I no longer squander my time with uninspiring "activists" who do little to expose the costs of war but rather carry out the VFP mission on my own.
20:21:47 From Jim Barton : I was the lead founder of the Boston Alliance Against Registration and the Draft in 1979 (not 1969). At the time, Peter Barnes wondered if that activism was a great idea. In 2004, when I saw Michael Moore's film about Iraq, I began to agree with him.
20:22:27 From Jim Barton : I wish that my hope of global democracy in 2009, when Twitter seemed to promise a global community of democracy, came true. One thing I'll note that in 1937, with the rape of Nanking and the bombing of Guernica, looked very dark; but in 1945, there was a flowering of internationalism.
20:27:32 From Dr W Brown to Hosts and panelists : Important to keep in mind that the US is not a true democracy. It never was in the past and very doubtful it ever will be.
This deeply underlies many of the chronic abuses of US hegemony over many many decades. Dr. Brown
20:27:40 From Farshid Moghimi to Hosts and panelists : Unfortunately, part of Iranian oppositions outside Iran and some people inside iran, wishing for a regime change by USA. Sanction created a lot of problem in Iran, but also a lot of corruptions by Iranian government official added to these crisis.Unofficial number of people killed during last few weeks in Iran is 37,000 and 300, 000 wounded. Iran called all of them spy or foreign agents, which people of Iran strongly rejected. Regime of Iran since 1980 put most of people with leftist ideas either in jail or executed. What I experienced from US left is calling government of Iran anti-imperialit , because their dispute with USA. Most of anti-imperialists activists in Iran, either are in jail or perished by the government, 1988 more than 4000 political leftist people in the jail were executed by order of Khomeini.
20:29:25 From Paul Cox : The end of the Empire will not be pretty.
20:31:50 From Peter Feld to Hosts and panelists : I took Professor Mendlovitz’s World Order class at Columbia in 1981 and am very glad to hear this current perspective.
20:31:52 From Phillip Josselyn to Hosts and panelists : Would be interesting to know what you guys think of BRICS?
20:34:00 From Maple O : Our ongoing protesting made a huge difference, maybe all...long live Kent State martyrs. Long live #AaronBushnell
20:35:08 From Romina Beitseen : Thank you to all organisers and speakers. Well presented and informative.
20:35:11 From Anne Stevens to Hosts and panelists : Thank you John.
20:35:35 From William Short : Please visit amatterofconscience.com/podcast
20:35:37 From Maple O : Bless the draft card burners of all generations and 'countries', including brave Israel youth peaceniks.
20:35:45 From Martha Winnacker to Hosts and panelists : These webinars have been profund. Thank you
20:35:51 From Joel Schwartz to Hosts and panelists : thanks all. great program.
20:35:51 From Paul Hubers to Hosts and panelists : 🌻🌻
Q & A
Would you please tell us a bit about the intellectual and activist aspirations of the WORLD ORDER MODELS PROJECT, which you founded some decades ago with the late great Professor Saul Mendlovitz? The suggestion in the very name, that there might be ALTERNATIVE models of world order to the Westphalian sovereign state system, has long helped me expand my own future historical
imagination."
I’d be grateful if the panelists might comment on the contribution of Telford Taylor during the Vietnam War. Thank you.
What if rebuilt Gaza has a great GDP like Vietnam 50 yrs. from now ? This is a dangerous precedent to adapt to a comparison between the two.
What about Victoria Nuland and Geoff Pyatt in Kiev? Many who support Palestine condemn Russia and and fail to acknowledge THAT coup. The Ukrainian one the US did.
Even given the lack of historical undersptanding by US policy makers about the Vietnam-China antagonisms during the war, have you been surprised by the extraordinary cooperation between the US and Vietnam after the war on matters of military strategic alliance and the growing role of Vietnam exports trade w the US— and hello from Alex Knopp, Honey Knopp was my mother who admired her coopertive work with you during the war. Thank you.
What arguments should be used to promote diplomatic solutions over the use of military power?
What is your evaluation of the BRICS+ and their impact on global finance and the ability to enforce sanctions?
To what extent has the end of the draft dampened the spirit for activism at the Vietnam-era level?
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