U.S. National Security Policy and Strategy: Documents and Policy Proposals

(Hardback)

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This work was designed to establish a sense of history and perspective for the study and teaching of national security. It is also intended to bring a sense of balance to current debates on national security policy. This is accomplished by presenting selected official U.S. documents covering the past thirty years, a careful reading of which not only provides valuable insights into the policy process but also into the meaning of American values. Rather than giving a comprehensive picture, this volume is designed to portray the critical reference points in the periods and events examined, and to identify the attitudes of the times. The book primarily treats the period from 1950 to the mid-1980s, although the first document examined is the National Security Act of 1947. The documents examined cover the national security establishment, new defense policies such as counterinsurgency, the events of the Vietnam War and its aftermath, nuclear strategy, the Reagan reassertion, and congressional constraints on the executive branch of government. A number of foreign and national security policy references were used as background and guides; these are listed in the Select Bibliography.

Reviews

A collection of documents relating to the development of postwar US foreign and defense policy. It contains two brief essays by the editors, both political scientists, on the study of national security and on available resources respectively. The value of any such collection resides in the relevance of the documents selected and the framework for their arrangement. By these criteria, this volume should receive high marks. It is well organized and contains a nice range of documents that are pertinent to postwar US national security policy. However, these virtues also represent a limitation. Although this book is a handy reference, it is inadequate for other than elementary research (although the essay on resources does provide a road map for further study.) Therefore, it is primarily of value as a reference work. The volume will be especially valuable for smaller libraries that might not have access to the primary source material from which the documents are selected. It contains a list of references and a short bibliography.-Choice
"A collection of documents relating to the development of postwar US foreign and defense policy. It contains two brief essays by the editors, both political scientists, on the study of national security and on available resources respectively. The value of any such collection resides in the relevance of the documents selected and the framework for their arrangement. By these criteria, this volume should receive high marks. It is well organized and contains a nice range of documents that are pertinent to postwar US national security policy. However, these virtues also represent a limitation. Although this book is a handy reference, it is inadequate for other than elementary research (although the essay on resources does provide a road map for further study.) Therefore, it is primarily of value as a reference work. The volume will be especially valuable for smaller libraries that might not have access to the primary source material from which the documents are selected. It contains a list of references and a short bibliography."-Choice

Author Bio

SAM C. SARKESIAN is Professor of Political Service at Loyola University of Chicago and Chairman of the Research Committee of the National Strategy Forum. ROBERT A. VITAS is a Ph.D. candidate at Loyola University of Chicago where he served as a 1987-1988 Schmidt Fellow in Political Science.