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Home > Open Access Journals > JSS > Vol. 19 > No. 1 (2026)

 

Author Biography

Alex Vu is a junior at the University of South Florida, studying Econometrics & Political Science. His research interests include U.S.-China relations, grand strategy, Vietnam's foreign policy, and civil-military relations. Alex is a Spring 2025 East-West Center's Young Professional.

Sam Tran recently graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.A. in Political Science. His research interests include Vietnamese culture and politics, and the role of interest groups in U.S. federal policymaking. Sam is an alumnus of the East-West Center’s Young Professional Program.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.19.1.2450

Subject Area Keywords

Afghanistan, Civil war and internal conflict, Democracy and democatization, Ethnic conflict, Foreign aid, Foreign policy, Ideology, Southeast Asia, War studies

Abstract

The 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was often compared to the 1975 fall of South Vietnam as two strategic failures by the United States in attempting to establish a Western-friendly, democratic government in their regions. While superficial similarities could be observed between the two cases, this research provides a further comparative analysis of state-building efforts in South Vietnam and Afghanistan to uncover critical lessons in regime-sustaining and the politics of American intervention. The article uses Charles Tilly’s "war makes state" concept to examine war-making, state-making, protection, and extraction as core elements of state-building. The research utilizes comparative historical analysis to highlight the need for a deeper understanding of local politics, corruption, and governance issues. Additionally, differences between the case studies of Afghanistan and South Vietnam are also discussed, ranging from geopolitical and international support to the nature of the opponents and the level of state institutionalism. By examining these factors, this article offers insights into the recurring obstacles in U.S. state-building efforts and their implications for future foreign interventions.

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