"Morris's study offers a careful and thorough investigation of a complex and important topic. His analysis is valuable in focusing attention on cultural and historical factors that are often ignored in contemporary international relations theory. Written in a clear and accessible style, the book should appeal not only to the Asian specialist, but also to the general reader interested in world affairs."--William J. Duiker, Pennsylvania State University"Stephen Morris is able to illuminate the mysteries surrounding the origins of the only extended war between communist states by skillfully reconstructing the chiliastic political culture of the decision makers. He is able to ground this analysis on solid documentation, for he is the only Western Southeast Asia specialist to have gained access to the archives of the Soviet Communist Party Central Committee. The result is a study that captures the passions and the mind-set of the true believers of late-stage Leninism as they played out a final drama of communism." --Lucian Pye, Professor of Political Science Emeritus, MIT

Abbreviations; Preface; Introduction: international relations, rationality, and Marxist-Leninist political cultures; Part I. The Local Genesis of the Conflict: 1. Roots of a conflict: the Vietnamese communists and the Cambodians, 1930-70; 2. The public rise and secret fall of ' Militant Solidarity': Vietnamese and Cambodian communists, 1970-75; 3. The foreign policy of democratic Kampuchea, 1975-78; 4. The public disintergration of ' Militant Solidarity' in Indochina: Vietnam and Cambodia, 1975-78; Part II. The Internationalization of a Conflict: 5. Vietnam and the Communist world, 1930-68; 6. North Vietnam's tilt toward the Soviet Union, 1968-75; 7. The collapse of Vietnamese-Chinese relations; 8. The emergence of the Soviet-Vietnamese alliance; 9. The consequences of the Vietnamese invasion; Conclusion: history and theory; Notes; Bibliography; Index.