The Vietnam War: A Concise International History by Mark Atwood Lawrence shows readers an international issue involving many nations and how the conflict progressed over the course of its rather extensive existence. Lawrence begins his book in a time before America's involvement in the war. It begins with the French trying to colonize the nation of Vietnam. The United States soon becomes involved and struggles to assert its position in the jungles of Indochina. Much of the book focuses on American participation in helping South Vietnam fight for the freedom to unite the country as a whole not under communist rule. Without seeing much results, the war drug went on for quite some time with neither side giving up. This resulted in problems in Vietnam and the United States. Lawrence's purpose in writing this book was concise and to the point. In recent history, due to the fall of the Soviet Bloc, new intelligence has become available for use in Vietnam. As stated in the introduction, “This book aims to take this new scholarship into account in a brief and accessible narrative of the Vietnam War… It places the war in the long stream of Vietnamese history and thus captures the goals and experiences of various governments that became deeply involved in the country during the second half of the twentieth century” (Lawrence, 3.) This study is not only about the American government and how it was involved in the Vietnam conflict, but highlights other countries such as France , China, and the Soviet Union. Lawrence goes on to say that one of his main goals in writing this book is to examine the American role in Vietnam in an international context (Lawrence, 4.). main purpose of Lawrence's study included not only... .....middle paper......conflict The war had a profound effect on the domestic life of the United States. The government made massive expenditures. The over $150 billion spent during this war led to a severe economic crisis (Lawrence, 171). The war also caused Americans to distrust their government leaders for the first time in history. This was due to the Watergate scandal along with the war efforts (Lawrence, 172). Because of the profound economic and social effects the war had on Americans, the United States should not have proceeded to enter a battle that was not its own. Vietnam War: A Concise International History is a strong book that portrays a vivid picture of both sides of the war. With access to new information and using valid sources, Lawrence's study deserves credibility. After reading this book, there is a new light and understanding of the Vietnam War.