Thinking about national security
Subtitle: strategy, policy, and issues
By: Donald M. Snow
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 193
ISBN-13: 9781138902916; 9781138902923
Subjects: Forecasting; World politics; Strategic aspects; National security; Military policy
Description: "Perhaps the most basic national security question that U.S. leaders and the body politic continuously face is where and under what circumstances to consider and in some cases resort to the use of armed force to ensure the country's safety and well-being. The question is perpetual--but the answer is not. This text helps students make sense of the ever-changing environment and factors that influence disagreement over national security risks and policy in the United States. The book takes shape through a focus on three considerations: strategy, policy, and issues. Snow explains the range of plans of action that are possible and resources available for achieving national security goals, as well as the courses of action for achieving those goals in the context of a broad range of security problems that must be dealt with. However, there is little agreement among policymakers on exactly what is the nature of the threats that the country faces. Snow helps readers frame the debate by suggesting some of the prior influences on risk-assessment, some of the current influences on national security debates, and suggestions for how future strategy and policy may be shaped"--Provided by publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: where we are now; title: U.S. policy in transition; title: War. . . what is it good for?; title: Humanitarian intervention?; title: The cold war paradigm; title: Factors in the new environment: possibilities and limitations; title: The Syrian microcosm; title: Paradigm for a new era.