Guardians of the arsenal : the politics of nuclear strategy /
In the six years since President Reagan announced his plan for a "Strategic Defense Initiative", it has become the centerpiece of American military policy. Yet has our nuclear strategy really changed? Janne Nolan argues that it has not, and that despite the efforts of virtually every presi...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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New York :
Basic Books,
[1989], ©1989
New York : c1989 New York : ©1989 New York : c1989 New York : [1989] |
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | In the six years since President Reagan announced his plan for a "Strategic Defense Initiative", it has become the centerpiece of American military policy. Yet has our nuclear strategy really changed? Janne Nolan argues that it has not, and that despite the efforts of virtually every president in the nuclear era to alter the policies of his predecessors, these initiatives have had little impact on the real decisions being taken by the closely knit cadre of individuals responsible for operational war planning. This book traces the erratic evolution of our declaratory nuclear doctrine, from Truman's "NSC-68" to Eisenhower's "massive retaliation", Kennedy's "mutual assured destruction", Nixon's "flexible counterforce", and Carter's "countervailing strategy". It also examines why, regardless of which administration is in power, these good intentions have been circumvented by vested interests intent on maximizing our technological superiority. Nolan contends that we risk losing control of our nuclear juggernaut unless our presidents are able to bridge the gap between public rhetoric and military reality |
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| Item Description: | Includes index This WorldCat-derived record is shareable under Open Data Commons ODC-BY, with attribution to OCLC "A New republic book." |
| Physical Description: | xiii, 320 p. ; 25 cm xiii, 320 pages ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography: | Bibliography: p. 287-310 Bibliography: p. 291-310 Bibliography: pages 287-310 Includes bibliographical references and index |
| ISBN: | 0465086306 0465098029 : 0465098029 046509807X 9780465098026 9780465098071 |