thomas vallely

Coming to Terms with the Past by Honoring Historical Truth: The Case of Fulbright University Vietnam

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Here's my latest essay about Fulbright University Vietnam.  Below is an excerpt from the conclusion to whet your appetite (or not). Education is one way to heal the past, assuming it is objective, comprehensive, and truthful. FUV has yet to live up to its billing as a university with a mission grounded in the liberal … Continue reading Coming to Terms with the Past by Honoring Historical Truth: The Case of Fulbright University Vietnam

Expanding the Fulbright Legacy in Vietnam (?)

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It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.  -Mark Twain (1835-1910)   This was the title of a 2018 article written by Mary Beth Marklein (MBM) for Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning (Volume 50, 2018 - Issue 1, pp. 63-70).  The online … Continue reading Expanding the Fulbright Legacy in Vietnam (?)

Fulbright University Vietnam & Moral Leadership?

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Given events of the past few years, these are two phrases that mix like oil and water.  Think textbook cognitive dissonance.  Or a feeble attempt at rehabilitation in the eyes of the public, an audacious means of gaining the moral high ground from the morass of historical tone deafness and gross insensitivity.   My first reaction … Continue reading Fulbright University Vietnam & Moral Leadership?

The Importance of Speaking Up About “Things That Matter”

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After telling an acquaintance who is well-known in Viet Nam circles that I intended to write about the rhetorical bombshells that Thomas Vallely dropped in an early 2018 interview about Bob Kerrey and Fulbright University Vietnam, he warned me about possible backlash.  In case you're just tuning in, Vallely is Senior Adviser for Mainland Southeast Asia … Continue reading The Importance of Speaking Up About “Things That Matter”

“PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives Harvard University’s professor”

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When I saw this headline, I was curious to see who the Harvard professor was.  It was none other than Thomas Vallely, who is not a professor but an administrator with neither an academic appointment nor a Ph.D.  More importantly, this is the same Thomas Vallely (TV) who made a series of cruel and insensitive … Continue reading “PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives Harvard University’s professor”

“More Demons Unleashed After Fulbright University Vietnam Official Drops Rhetorical Bombshells”

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This 17 August 2018 CounterPunch article is the third in a trilogy.  Here are the first and second articles.  This should be my last word about this sad story.   Pardon the nasty military metaphor but it's not nearly as nasty as some of the quotes from "one of the most influential figures in the US-Viet Nam relationship you’ve never heard … Continue reading “More Demons Unleashed After Fulbright University Vietnam Official Drops Rhetorical Bombshells”