Summary

Chapter Five focuses on South Korea, its role in the war, and its development during the second half of the twentieth century. The author notes that following the Korean War, South Korean transformed itself from an undeveloped backwater into a major world economy. This was partially accomplished, as many Americans forget, by the presence of South Korean troops alongside the United States in Vietnam. Because of this, Nguyen argues, the South Koreans were humanized in American eyes and became a model minority in the United States. More broadly, Nguyen argues the successful post-Cold War development of South Korea is a strong argument in favor of capitalism. Many people, including the author, view South Korea as the country Vietnam could have been had it embraced capitalism. This success, however, depended partially on South Korea fighting a brutal and dehumanizing war in Vietnam.

The author focuses...