general giap has to be taken seriously. he knows the enemy. the vietnamese irregular troops' victory under giap's command over the french at dien bien phu is a classic of modern warfare. (i remember in one of satyajit ray's 'calcutta trilogy' films -- was it 'seemabaddha' or 'jana aranya'? -- the young man in an interview when asked "what was the most important event of the last 50 years?", says "dien bien phu", to the obvious irritation of the interviewers, who were expecting him to say "man on the moon" or something. well, that was a nice little dig, but i am not sure i agree with the young man. anyway.)
i am not sure giap had as much of a role to play in the defeat of the americans. it was more a result of american arrogance and their underestimation of the nationalism and the determination of the vietnamese, along with an unwillingness to accept the truth, that they were being defeated. (a lot like the soviets in afghanistan, and the americans in iraq now).
he tells the truth, like george fernandes did once: china is the enemy. period.
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