# Graveyard of Empires—Vietnam and the Limits of Power

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/consequential-actions-podcast-7101158/graveyard-of-empires-vietnam-and-the-limits-of-power.md
Podcast: [Consequential Actions Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/consequential-actions-podcast-7101158)
Published: 2026-03-20T14:05:48+00:00
Episode link: https://jeffkellick.substack.com/p/graveyard-of-empiresvietnam-and-the
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/191580639/e5ee3d1aaec4fc9d19244f0a9454563b.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2719

## Resource

This episode examines America’s most devastating military defeat—the Vietnam War. We trace the conflict from its origins in French colonialism and Ho Chi Minh’s ignored appeals to America, through the Gulf of Tonkin deception, the escalation under Johnson, the Tet Offensive that exposed the lies, the domestic upheaval that tore America apart, and the fall of Saigon in 1975. We examine why the war was unlikely to succeed under the chosen strategy, why the government systematically deceived the public, and why the lessons were never learned—ensuring that the pattern would repeat in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jeffkellick.substack.com

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## Transcript

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