Noting debates here over the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu (March-May 1954), it remains my position that the French loss (esp post-Korean War armistice) was a needless disaster & that the Allies should have helped the French resist the Communist insurgency. I blame Ike. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇫🇷" title="Flagge von Frankreich" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Frankreich"> https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⚜️" title="Wappen-Lilie" aria-label="Emoji: Wappen-Lilie">

The brilliant war correspondent & historian, Bernard Fall, wrote superb histories of the French experience in Indochina, include the Dien Bien Phu denouement

Bernard Fall& #39;s account of the end of the French war in Indochina at Dien Bien Phu was a lesson that awaited & #39;learning& #39;, less for the successor Vietnam War (which was a just war of assistance to Sth Vietnam) than for the Afghan War of our times.

Bernard Fall& #39;s comments on Dien Bien Phu - and that occupying powers will be defeated by losing the initiative & being exhausted by repetitive & draining engagements - are worthy of consideration at any time but especially now, re the military folly of counter-insurgency.

Will end this thread for now noting post-WW2 (grandiose American pronouncements notwithstanding), the British, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch etal all held imperial/colonial territories each wanted to hang on to for as long as possible. We lack good late Imperial histories.