The Domino Theory Reconsidered

Historians often casually refer to the “discredited” Domino Theory.  For example, the History Channel website tells us:

The domino theory was a Cold War policy that suggested a communist government in one nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring states, each falling like a perfectly aligned row of dominos. In Southeast Asia, the U.S. government used the now-discredited domino theory to justify its involvement in the Vietnam War and its support for a non-communist dictat...