Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security From World War II to the War on Terrorism

Description

It has long been a truism that prior to George W. Bush, politics stopped at the water's edge--that is, that partisanship had no place in national security. In Arsenal of Democracy, historian Julian E. Zelizer shows this to be demonstrably false: partisan fighting has always shaped American foreign policy and the issue of national security has always been part of our domestic conflicts. Based on original archival findings, Arsenal of Democracy offers new insights into nearly every major national security issue since the beginning of the cold war: from FDR's masterful management of World War II to the partisanship that scarred John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis, from Ronald Reagan's fight against Communism to George W. Bush's controversial War on Terror. A definitive account of the complex interaction between domestic politics and foreign affairs over the last six decades, Arsenal of Democracy is essential reading for anyone interested in the politics of national security. CONTENTS 1 FOUR QUESTIONS 2 UNEASY WARRIORS 3 HOW THE DEMOCRATS WON WORLD WAR II 4 BUILDING THE NATIONAL SECURITY STATE 5 MAKING CHINA RIGHT 6 HIGH NOON AT MID-CENTURY 7 MAKE MISSILES, NOT BUDGETS 8 THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS REVISITED 9 RUNNING SCARED INTO VIETNAM 10 ENDING THE DRAFT 11 NO ROOM FOR A REPUBLICAN CENTER 12 THE LOST DEMOCRATIC OPPORTUNITY 13 RAMBO MEETS THE DEER HUNTER 14 COUNTER-ATTACK 15 WHAT COMES NEXT? 16 FIGHTING CONSERVATISM ON CAPITOL HILL 17 9/11 18 MISSION ACCOMPLISHED? 19 POLITICS AT THE WATER’S EDGE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ARCHIVES NOTES INDEX