Southern Miss History Professor Featured Contributor on CNN.com

Friday, February 26, 2010

Contact David Tisdale, 601.266.4499

A University of Southern Mississippi history professor and expert on the Vietnam War weighs in on the U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan in an opinion piece for CNN.com. “Is Afghanistan today’s South Vietnam?” by Dr. Andrew Wiest examines parallels between the conflict in southeast Asia and America’s war on terrorism today in the South-Central Asian nation. Wiest is also co-director of the Department of History’s Center for the Study of War and Society.  Read his contribution to CNN.com on the subject at www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/02/25/wiest.afghanistan.vietnam/?hpt=T2 Wiest questions whether America is propping up an Afghan army that can only survive under the auspices of U.S. support, and would soon collapse if left on its own, similar to the South Vietnamese Army. He also points to other similarities, including the problem of government corruption and weak support of or hostility toward the presence of American forces by rank and file citizens of each country. “Everyone is free to disagree with what I’ve written, but I hope that my contribution will help add more depth and nuance to the important discussion about our role in geopolitics and use of our military,” Wiest said. “I also hope it will help showcase the History Department and the Center for the Study of War and Society here at Southern Miss.” Also an expert on World Wars I and II, Wiest has led Southern Miss international study abroad programs in Vietnam and in London. He has taken his students to learn firsthand about warfare at key battle sites in Vietnam and in Europe, including the site of the D-Day landing of Allied forces at Normandy Beach in France during WWII. To learn more about the Southern Miss Department of History and the Center for the Study of War and Society, online visit www.usm.edu/history. To learn more about the university’s international study abroad and exchange programs, online visit www.usm.edu/internationaledu About The University of Southern MississippiThe University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities.  In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world.  Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu.                                                                                     -30-