RUcore Resource Object
RUcore Resource Object
PDF-1(1.26 MB)
TitleThe last war we liked
NameDudas, David Michael (author), Davis, Eric (chair), Levy, Jack (internal member), Licklider, Roy (internal member), Jebb, Cindy (outside member), Rutgers University, Graduate School - New Brunswick,
Degree Date2012-10
Date Created2012
SubjectPolitical Science,
Counterinsurgency--United States--History--20th century,
Counterinsurgency--United States--History--21st century,
United States--Foreign relations--20th century,
United States--Foreign relations--2001-2009
DescriptionThis research explores the sources that shape content, continuity, and change in U.S. foreign policy from the period of 1968 through 2006 with a focus on American Army doctrine, and specifically the tension between counterinsurgency and more traditional forms of warfare. Unlike previous assessments, I argue that although international, organizational, and bureaucratic contexts of action are important to understanding the origins of doctrine, they are insufficient without reference to policymakers’ understandings of dominant views of the American way of war in the public mind. And where analysts have examined continuity under a bipolar international system as well as organizational culture, I trace the origin of policymakers’ ideas and their assessments of domestic political and cultural contexts of action against the backdrop of external threats to the state and dominant groups within the Army. Consequently, this study argues that the American experience in war does not readily fit the maxim that armies tend to fight the next war as they did the last, rather the American historical context suggests we fight the next war as the last war we liked. Last, this study equally concerns itself with the responsibility of policymakers to articulate to the American public the nature of the international environment and the required means to achieve policy ends.
NotePh. D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Noteby David Michael Dudas
Genretheses
Persistent URLhttp://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.1/rucore10001600001.ETD.000066726
Languageeng
CollectionGraduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.