Presidential decisions for war
Subtitle: Korea, vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq
By: Gary R. Hess.
Edition: 2nd ed.
Series: The American moment
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Baltimore
Language: eng
Number of pages: 329
ISBN-13: 9780801891236; 9780801891243
Subjects: Truman, Harry S., -- 1884-1972; Johnson, Lyndon B. -- 1908-1973; Bush, George, -- 1924-; Presidents -- United States -- History -- 20th century; Cold War; Intervention (International law) -- History -- 20th century -- Case studies; United States -- Foreign relations -- 1945-1989 -- Decision making -- Case studies; United States -- Foreign relations -- 1989-1993 -- Decision making -- Case studies; United States -- Military policy -- Case studies
Genres: Case studies
Description: From the Publisher: Following World War II, Americans expected that the United States would wage another major war against a superpower. Instead, the nation has fought limited wars against much weaker states, such as North Korea, North Vietnam, and Iraq. This revised and updated edition of Presidential Decisions for War analyzes the means by which four presidents have taken the nation to war and assesses the effectiveness of each president's leadership during those conflicts. Gary Hess recreates the unfolding crises in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq to probe the reasons why Presidents Truman, Johnson, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush and their advisors decided in favor of war. He compares the performance of the commanders-in-chief and evaluates how effectively each understood U.S. interests, explored alternatives to war, adhered to constitutional processes, and built congressional, popular, and international support. A new conclusion points out, that unlike the administrations of Truman, Johnson, and the elder Bush, George W. Bush's White House actively sought to change the international order through preemptive war and aggressive democracy building. Fully revised and featuring an examination of how each of the presidents learned from history and juggled the demands on diplomacy, this comparative study of presidential war-making elucidates how effective executive leadership-or its absence-directly affects the outcome of wars.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references ([291]-319) and index.