Speedreading is one of my hobby these days, especially if i am reading the same book twice. The purpose simply is to better understand the content, the hidden meanings of certain substances that was not readily apparent at first encounter. But, it all depends on the kind of book; whether it is informative (one that i seek to have a permanent imprint on my memory), or a read-for-fun. The book is Lewis Sorley's A Better War about the unexamined victory that could have happen in Vietnam had the political upheaval in the US itself were not too pernicious at the time. The things i learnt most from this book can be summed up as the politicization of warfare. When a war was being conducted both at the field and on a negotiating table, you'll know that some appeasement is necessary to reach a feasible truce. In other words, whoever wants to the war stopped most will have to have some upper hand on the field. Like in the Korean War. The other most significant lesson that went unexamined on all of the other books about Vietnam War is the possibility of the South Vienamese Government themselve to defend their homeland without the help from the US military. For the first time, the stark reflection that came upon me is the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan; wars that had been scourging for several years without perceptible positive outcome. Iraq fared much better now, owing from the lessons in Vietnam. But Afghanistan is not one to embody as an apple next to Vietnam. Most of the country is illiterate and to win a war there means building the nation from scratch. Educating its people, financing its government, and align their neighbors to support their cause. One can't achieve this is in a very short time. It took decades for country to grow mature. A grandfather would have to farm the land so hard today so that his grandchildren could finally expand its size without the obstacles on security and heavy reliance on government subsidies. In short, generations need to pass by before any result is foreseeable.