Healing the wounds of war? A discussion of agent orange compensation programmes in the United States and Vietnam

Abstract

This paper assesses compensation programmes for victims of the principal U.S. Military herbicide, Agent Orange, used during the Vietnam War period 1961 to 1971. Whilst positive steps forward in the formal recognition and compensation of victims, both the Vietnamese and to a lesser extent, the American programme, are found to fall short in meeting the following principles of compensation. That is, in the form of monetary and non-monetary benefits to all affected persons at varying levels of disability on an ongoing basis over the life cycle. © de Sitter Publications.