The Vietnam War - Thirty Years On

Wednesday 13 April 2005

To mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, the University of Newcastle's Research Group for War, Society and Culture is hosting a conference to examine the legacies of that bitterly divisive war.

The Vietnam War - Thirty Years On: Memories, Legacies and Echoes conference has attracted speakers from Australia, the United States, Vietnam, Canada and Britain to discuss the impact of the war.

Conference organiser Dr Chris Dixon says, "It has been thirty years since the end of the war that exposed the limits of American power and revealed that military solutions can't always solve what are fundamentally political problems."

"It's interesting that the 30th anniversary should occur when there are so many comparisons being made between the Vietnam War and the current war in Iraq," says Dr Dixon.

"People are currently asking about Iraqi resistance to the US. How will the US find an exit strategy? Will the American public continue to support the war? What if the US can't 'impose' a solution on Iraq? And why is Australia involved… again?"

"Perhaps for answers we need to look back to the war which has affected the way the US has fought since the 1960's," says Dr Dixon.

Keynote speakers include:

• Professor James Westheider, University of Cincinnati - Clermont - 'The Legacy of Vietnam and the Search for a Usable Past'
• Dr Peter Stanley, Australian War Memorial - "Ignorance and Prejudice: My History of the Vietnam War'

The Vietnam War - Thirty Years On: Memories, Legacies and Echoes conference will run from Thursday 14 - Friday 15 April 2005 at University House, King St, Newcastle.

For interviews: Dr Chris Dixon on (02) 4921 5212.