Defense Policy and the Presidency
Other Titles of Interest
Presidents, Secretaries of State, and Crises in U.S. Foreign Relations: A Model and Predictive Analysis, Lawrence Falkowski
U.S. Policy in International Institutions: Defining Reasonable Options in an Unreasonable World, edited by Seymour Maxwell Finger and Joseph R. Harbert
Congress and Arms Control, edited by Alan Platt and Lawrence D. Weiler
Crisis Resolution: Presidential Decision Making in the Mayaguez and Korean Confrontations, Richard Head, Frisco Short, and Robert C. McFarlane
U.S.-Japan Relations and the Security of East Asia: The Next Decade, edited by Franklin B. Weinstein
Communist Indochina and U.S. Foreign Policy: Postwar Realities, Joseph J. Zasloff and MacAlister Brown
National Interests and Presidential Leadership: The Settling of Priorities, Donald E. Nuechterlein
Arms Transfers to the Third World: The Military Buildup in Less Industrial Countries, Uri Ra'anan, Robert Pfaltzgraff, Jr., and Geoffrey Kemp
Political Leadership in NATO: A Study in Multinational Diplomacy , Robert S. Jordan
Psychological Models in International Politics, edited by Lawrence Falkowski
Lend-Lease, Loans, and the Coming of the Cold War: A Study of the Implementation of Foreign Policy, Leon c. Martel
Westview Special Studies in National Security and Defense
Defense Policy and the Presidency: Carter's First Years edited by Sam C. Sarkesian
This book examines the role of the president in the defense policy process, focusing specifically, but not exclusively, on the administration of President Carter. Contributors discuss such current concerns as the NATO-Warsaw confrontation and attitudes of European allies, U.S.-China-Japan defense relationships, and the issues of military intervention. In examining the broader aspects of defense policy, they focus on the style of leadership and world view of the president and his immediate national security staff and on the politics of the defense budget. A constant theme is the comparison of past defense policies with those of the present administration.
The authors offer insights on important aspects of the Carter defense policy, provide an assessment of the impact of the president's policies on future U.S. defense posture, and present a conceptual framework for examining both the president's role in defense policymaking and the general concept of national security.
Sam C. Sarkesian is professor and chairman of the Political Science Department, Loyola University of Chicago. He is associate chairman of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society.
Defense Policy and the Presidency: Carter's First Years
edited by Sam C. Sarkesian
First published 1979 by Westview Press, Inc.
Published 2018 by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright 1979 Taylor & Francis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 78-21353
ISBN 13: 978-0-367-01792-7 (hbk)
Contents
Sam C. Sarkesian
Thomas A. Fabyanic
Vincent Davis
Lawrence J. Korb
Lawrence J. Korb
Doris A. Graber
James A. Linger
George P. Jan
Sheldon Simon
Sam C. Sarkesian
At the end of his second year, President Jimmy Carter was facing difficult times at the hands of pollsters. His popularity and people's confidence in his ability to handle the job of President had dramatically decreased since his inauguration. Although such ratings expressed public disenchantment with unemployment, inflation, and the general state of the economy, they also signified concern about the ability of the United States to maintain its power and protect its security in a vastly complicated and easily misunderstood world environment.
These matters as well as an increasing concern about the gap between policy pronouncements and U.S. capabilities prompted several academicians to come together at the Midwest Political Science Association annual meeting, April 20-22nd, 1978, in Chicago, Illinois, to discuss the Carter administration's handling of national security matters. Recognizing that prognostications about national security are always a gamble, the group nevertheless focused on pressing security issues, ranging from the President and his staff to U.S. security policy in Asia. What emerges in this volume is a critical inquiry into national security during the first two years of the Carter administration.
Five of the chapters are revised versions of papers originally presented for the panel on "Defense Policies of the Carter Administration: An Assessment" at the Midwest Political Science Association annual meeting. In addition to these papers, excellent analysis and commentary by the discussants, Sam Huntington, Congressman Edward Derwinski, and Sheldon Simon has been included. To balance the presentation, some of the major points made by the discussants are incorporated into the Introduction, and Sheldon Simon has written a chapter based on his comments as a discussant, providing a counterpoint to the other authors.
Thomas Fabyanic, although not participating in the Midwest meeting, prepared a paper specifically for this volume. His chapter provides a broad view of U.S. strategy, strategic concepts, and the international security environment, setting the stage for the remainder of the volume.
Larry Korb's chapter on "National Security Organization and Process" was originally prepared for the 19th Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, Washington, D.C., February 22-25, 1978. It is a summation of the national security structure and important national security directives.
A final note: since the preparation or this volume, events may have taken place that date several points in the various chapters. For example, the United States arms embargo on Turkey was lifted in August 1978 by a House vote of 208-205. Linger's paper makes specific reference to the impending debates in Congress on the arms embargo. The fact remains, however, that such events do not change the general thrust and conclusion of the papers and this volume.
Additionally, public opinion is a fragile component in defense policy. Unexpected security developments, dramatic reversals in relationships, and the nature of domestic leadership can easily affect opinion polls of national security performance. Thus, it is possible that weaknesses in American national security policy and the current administration's policy posture may be corrected by events beyond the control of the leadership. To reiterate however, such possibilities do not change our assessment of the first two years of the Carter administration, nor of the general character of the national security policy process and the central role of the President.
