In the West, mention the name Lê Đức Thọ and he is recalled as Henry Kissinger’s arch-nemesis at the Paris Peace Talks and the only person to have ever refused the Nobel Peace Prize.[1] Yet Lê Đức Thọ’s influence extended well beyond Paris and Copenhagen. As a founding member of the Indochinese Communist Party and later the chief of the Party’s powerful Central Organization Commission [Ban Tổ Chức Trung Ương], Lê Đức Thọ cast a long shadow over Vietnam for several decades, playing an integral role in such events as the so-called Anti Party Affair [Vụ án Xét lại Chống Đảng] and Đổi Mới [Renovation]. Nonetheless, he largely remains shrouded in mystery. Through Vietnamese newspapers, memoirs, archives, and interviews, in this talk the speaker examines two related question. Who was Lê Đức Thọ? And how do we account for his rise to power? Through this analysis, he argues that scholars and observers need to reconsider the architecture of power in Communist Vietnam. Video includes talk and an extended Q&A with audience members.
16 дек 2021
