Book excerpt: A comparative analysis of Maoist or "people's wars" since the American defeat and departure from Vietnam in 1975. It combines academic research with eye-witness accounts to examine similar prolonged, post- Vietnam insurgencies, including Thailand, the Philippines, Peru, and Sri Lanka. Unlike Vietnam, however, these insurgencies failed, and Marks is particularly interested in how the world's strongest power failed where Third World governments have succeeded. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR