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Spring

2020

The Origins of Ecocide: Revisiting the Ho Chi Minh Trail in the Vietnam War

Published
2020-05-21

Abstract

The Vietnam War introduced a new language for the environmental impacts of modern warfare. These included the first widespread use of herbicides and weather modification techniques during war. Such actions were taken by the US to fight against North Vietnam, who saw nature as an ally that could be harnessed for their aims, while the Americans viewed it as a barrier to be controlled and subdued. Nearly 50 years later, profound long-term consequences for people and nature remain.