From Enemies to Partners: Vietnam, the U.S. and Agent Orange

More than four decades after the end of the Vietnam War, the United States and Vietnam are just beginning to address the horrific and widely unknown negative consequences of Agent Orange, the dioxin-contaminated herbicide used by the United States to eliminate forest cover for opposition troops during the war. Over 4.1 million Vietnamese citizens were exposed to Agent Orange, and today’s Americans hear little to nothing about the tragic effects that continue to impact the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese people in 2018.

However, two leading experts on Agent Orange and its aftermath have been working tirelessly to explore both current scientific understanding of the chemical and some promising solutions to addressing the consequences of its use. In their groundbreaking new book, From Enemies to Partners: Vietnam, the U.S. and Agent Orange (Feb. 28, 2018, G. Anton Publishing), Charles Bailey, PhD, and Le Ke Son, PhD, educate readers about the effects of Agent Orange and implore the U.S. and Vietnam to work together to help those still suffering under the dark shadow cast by this toxic chemical.

“To fully understand the legacy of Agent Orange in Vietnam, one needs to understand the past—how we got here,” said Dr. Bailey. “Our book’s aim is also to call for and guide future action.”

For instance, both the U.S. and Vietnam affirm that fourteen diseases, including several types of cancer, are a result of dioxin exposure. Dioxin is also linked to birth defects and continues to severely impact children and young adults whose parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents were exposed to the dioxin in Agent Orange during the war. Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese families suffer because of Agent Orange. Many of them are children and young adults who are severely disabled—with stunted arms and legs, and diminished mental capacity, among other challenges—making it extremely difficult to live independently or enjoy a quality of life so many of us take for granted.

“Many Americans know about Agent Orange, and that it was used during the Vietnam War,” says Dr. Bailey. “What they don’t know is that nearly fifty years later, both the Vietnamese and U.S. Veterans are still suffering from its effects. We need to fix this.”

In reading From Enemies to Partners, readers will come to understand critically important and powerful topics, such as:
• The moral reasoning for a fuller American response to the Agent Orange crisis
• Steps both the United States and Vietnam can each take in a joint humanitarian initiative to resolve the legacy of Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam
• How many victims of Agent Orange are living with its effects today and how they can most effectively be reached and helped
• The critical issue of whether dioxin pollution still exists in Vietnam today
• What exactly needs to be done to complete cleanup
• The impact of Agent Orange on relations between the United States and Vietnam

“I believe that if you see a significant and serious social problem and have the opportunity and the means to end it, you have the obligation to act,” Dr. Bailey adds. “From Enemies to Partners will help make sure the U.S. stays on track to helping rid Vietnam of the remaining toxins from Agent Orange, forever.”

Amazon link for "From Enemies to Partners": https://www.amazon.com/Enemies-Partners-Vietnam-Agent-Orange-ebook/dp/B0...