Dialogue on War Legacies and Peace in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia: The Future of U.S. Relations

Please note this event series took place over two days, October 11 and 12, from 9:00am - 10:30 am. The series was livestreamed in both English and Vietnamese.

Để xem sự kiện này bằng tiếng Việt, xin mời vào đây

The process of postwar reconciliation between the United States, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia is one of the most remarkable stories of the 21st century. The legacies of U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia, once a major obstacle to normal relations, have gradually become the basis for a closer partnership. Over the past few decades, humanitarian cooperation among governments — supported by efforts from civil society, including veterans’ organizations — has assisted the identification of the remains of missing personnel and helped to address the impacts of Agent Orange and unexploded ordnance. Meanwhile, people-to-people exchanges have fostered connectivity and built trust between our societies.

Yet nearly 50 years following the end of the war, more work is needed. USIP’s Vietnam War Legacies and Reconciliation Initiative aims to further advance reconciliation through people-to-people engagement; to build and sustain U.S. support for addressing the war’s legacies and MIA accounting in the coming decades; and to highlight stories of reconciliation as evidence that peace is possible and practical.

In pursuit of those aims, USIP hosted a two-part livestream of USIP’s Dialogue on War Legacies and Peace. The event brought together diplomats, advocates and authors to draw lessons from U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia that could apply to conflicts elsewhere in the world. The inspiring presentations looked at how Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians are healing from wartime suffering and building a future based on trust and shared interests.

Continue the conversation on Twitter using #WarLegaciesAndPeace.

Panelists:

Ambassador Marc Knapper

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam

Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, U.S. Department of State

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh

President, Vietnam-USA Society

Brian Eyler

Director, Southeast Asia Program, Stimson Center

Vu Ha Phuong

Research Fellow, Otago University, New Zealand

Vikram Singh, moderator

Senior Advisor, Asia Program, U.S. Institute of Peace

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The United States Institute of Peace is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. To reduce future crises and the need for costly interventions, USIP works with governments and civil societies to build local capacities to manage conflict peacefully. The Institute pursues its mission by linking research, policy, training, analysis and direct action to support those who are working to build a more peaceful, inclusive world. Learn more about USIP