具体描述
Twenty years after the signing of the Paris Accords, the constitutional ambiguities of American involvement in the Vietnam War remain unresolved. John Hart Ely examines the overall constitutionality of America's role in Vietnam; and shows that Congress authorized each new phase of American involvement without committing itself to the stated aims of intervention.
作者简介
John Hart Ely (December 3, 1938 - October 25, 2003) is one of the most widely-cited legal scholars in United States history, ranking just after Richard Posner, Ronald Dworkin, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., according to a 2000 study in the University of Chicago's Journal of Legal Studies.
目录信息
Preface
Ch. 1 The Constitutional Framework 3
The Counterargument from Obsolescence 5
The Counterargument from Practice 9
Korea 10
Ch. 2 Vietnam: The (Troubled) Constitutionality of the War They Told Us About 12
The Constitutionality of the Vietnam War, 1964-1973 13
The American Ground Incursion into Cambodia, 1970 30
The Repeal of the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, 1971 32
The Continued Bombing of Cambodia, 1973 34
Ch. 3 Inducing Congress to Face Up to Its Constitutional Responsibilities 47
The Experience Since Vietnam 48
Can Anybody Here Fix This Thing? 52
Judicial "Remand" as a Corrective for Legislative Evasion 54
Ch. 4 The (Unenforceable) Unconstitutionality of the "Secret War" in Laos, 1962-1969 68
America's Role in the War in Laos 69
Defense 1: Because It Wasn't Fought by Our "Armed Forces," the Campaign in Laos Wasn't Covered by the Constitutional Requirement That Wars Be Authorized by Congress 73
Defense 2: The Tonkin Gulf Resolution Authorized the War in Laos 75
Defense 3: There Were Compelling Military Reasons Why Congress and the American Public Could Not Be Told About the War in Laos, and Thus Why Authorization Could Not Be Sought 76
Defense 4: In Fact the "Secret War" in Laos Was No Secret 82
What is the Remedy for a Secret War? 93
Ch. 5 The (Enforceable) Unconstitutionality of the Secret Bombing of Cambodia, 1969-1970 98
The Sihanouk Scenarios 99
What Is the Remedy for a Secret War in Which Congress Isn't Complicit? 103
Ch. 6 "Covert" War Today 105
Have Covert Wars Been Congressionally Authorized En Masse? 106
Must Covert Wars Be Congressionally Authorized? 108
Have I Just Given Away the Store? 109
Appendix: Toward a War Powers (Combat Authorization) Act That Works 115
Provisions That Don't Do Any Good and Only Give the President an Excuse to Flout the Resolution 115
Strengthening the Potentially Operational Provisions 120
A Proposed Combat Authorization Act 132
Notes 139
Index 239
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读后感
用户评价
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这本书的独特之处在于其结构上的非线性处理,它摒弃了传统的、时间顺序的线性叙事,转而采用了碎片化、多视角的交织手法。这种处理方式起初会让人感到有些分散注意力,仿佛同时在听好几场不相关的谈话。然而,随着阅读的深入,你会逐渐意识到,这些看似分散的线索,是如何如同精密的齿轮般啮合在一起,最终驱动出一个宏大而统一的主题。作者的笔触在微观和宏观之间自由切换,一会儿聚焦于一滴汗水上的反射,一会儿又瞬间拉远至整个战争地图的俯瞰。这种叙事上的“变焦”能力,极大地丰富了文本的层次感,使得即便是对同一事件的重复审视,也能从新的角度挖掘出新的内涵。它更像是一幅马赛克画卷,需要读者耐心拼凑,才能最终领略到整体的震撼效果。
这本书的语言风格有一种独特的韵味,它不像当代许多畅销书那样追求通俗易懂的流畅性,反而带着一种古典的凝练和雕琢感,仿佛每一句话都是经过千锤百炼才最终定稿。大量的排比和复杂的主从句结构,初读时确实需要集中全部注意力去梳理逻辑链条,但这恰恰是其魅力所在——它要求读者付出相应的智力投入。我特别喜欢作者在描述环境和氛围时所使用的意象,那些关于光影、空间、以及无声的凝视的描写,精准地捕捉了人物内心世界的微妙波动,为整个叙事增添了一层厚重的文学质感。它不是那种读完后能让你轻松合上的书,它会在你的脑海中持续发酵,像一杯陈年的老酒,后劲十足。它挑战了我们对于叙事结构和表达方式的既有认知,迫使我们以一种更审慎、更具批判性的眼光去重新审视文字的力量。
这本书的叙事节奏真是让人应接不暇,作者似乎有意将读者抛入一个信息洪流之中,每一个章节都像是急流中的一朵浪花,前一秒还在某个历史事件的细节里打转,后一秒就被拉扯到一个宏大的哲学思辨的漩涡。我尤其欣赏他对时代背景的刻画,那种厚重感和压抑感,仿佛能从纸页间渗出来,让人深切体会到身处特定历史时期人物的挣扎与无奈。文笔时而如精密的仪器般冷静客观,细致入微地剖析事件的来龙去脉;时而又如同激昂的交响乐,充满了对人性的拷问和对命运的喟叹。读到某些关于抉择与后果的段落时,我甚至需要停下来,反复咀嚼那些话语,思考其背后的复杂权衡。它不仅仅是在讲述一个故事,更像是在搭建一个思想的迷宫,让你在其中迷失,又在迷失中逐渐找到某种隐晦的真理。书中的人物群像塑造得极为成功,他们的动机、恐惧和最终的选择,都显得那样真实可信,让人不禁将自己的影子投射其中,进行一场无声的内心辩论。
阅读体验上,这本书更像是攀登一座技术要求极高的山峰。前三分之一的路程,你可能因为不熟悉攀爬技巧而感到气喘吁吁,步履维艰。地形变化多端,忽而是一片平坦的草甸(或许是某个角色相对平静的内心独白),忽而又是陡峭的冰壁(突然爆发的冲突或高强度的哲学对话)。但一旦你适应了作者设定的“重力场”,进入了那个特定的思维频率,你会发现每一步的攀登都充满了壮丽的风景。我特别欣赏作者对于历史资料和虚构叙事的融合手法,它们之间的界限处理得极其高明,让你时常陷入一种“这是真的还是杜撰的?”的迷思之中,这种不确定性反而增强了阅读的沉浸感和探索欲。它不是一本用来打发时间的消遣读物,它要求你带着工具和地图,全神贯注地投入其中。