Social Science and National Security Policy: Deterrence, Coercion, and Modernization Theories

Description

This book examines how deterrence, coercion and modernization theory has informed U.S. policy, addressing why former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara’s famous description of the Vietnam War as the “social scientist’s war” is so accurate. By tracing the evolution of ties between social scientists and the government beginning in World War I and continuing through the Second World War and the early Cold War, the narrative highlights the role of institutions like the RAND Corporation, the Social Science Research Council and MIT’s Center for International Studies that facilitate these ties while providing a home for the development of theory. The author compares and contrasts the ideas of Bernard Brodie, Herman Kahn, Albert Wohlstetter, Thomas Schelling, Gabriel Almond, Lucian Pye and Walt Rostow, among others, and offers a cautionary tale concerning the difficulties and problems encountered when applying social science theory to national security policy. Front Matter ....Pages i-ix Evolution of a Partnership: Social Science and National Security Policy (Janeen M. Klinger)....Pages 1-32 The Natural Sciences and Public Policy: Insights from the History and the Philosophy of Science (Janeen M. Klinger)....Pages 33-58 The Science of Strategy: Deterrence and Coercion Theory (Janeen M. Klinger)....Pages 59-112 A Scientific Approach to Development: Modernization Theory (Janeen M. Klinger)....Pages 113-174 Theory Meets Practice: The Case of the Vietnam War (Janeen M. Klinger)....Pages 175-228 Back Matter ....Pages 229-252