The National Security Doctrines Of The American Presidency: How They Shape Our Present And Future

821 Pages·2012·3.797 MB·English

by  Lamont Colucci

The National Security Doctrines
of the American Presidency
Praise for The National Security Doctrines of the American
Presidency: How They Shape Our Present and Future
W ith the publication of this comprehensive work, Professor Lamont Colucci has per-
formed a valuable service in compiling and analyzing the major doctrines that have
shaped our history and defined our national interests. This compendium will be of great
value to scholars, statesmen and practitioners, and should be a standard reference work
for journalists and writers.
—Richard V. Allen, Former National Security Advisor to President
Ronald Reagan, Senior Fellow at The Hoover Institution
in War, Revolution and Peace, Stanford University
A n ambitious survey attuned to what makes American national security policy—and
America—distinctive. Impressive in its sweep, invigorating in its analysis.
—Rich Lowry, Editor of National Review
L amont Colucci has given us a superb and vivid historical roadmap and framework for
future understanding of how and why Presidents succeed and fail in implementing nine
major, and really timeless, themes of national security. For example, one of Colucci’s stars,
Harry Truman, did not start with micromanaging tactics and reading opinion polls and
then work backwards toward strategy and national security policy.
—R. James Woolsey, Former Director of Central Intelligence
Agency; Chairman, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
C olucci writes with a broad historical sweep from Washington to Obama to explore the
doctrinal foundations of the foreign policies of the United States. He argues persuasively
that such doctrines best flow from a cohesive view of grand strategy and a clear-eyed con-
ception of the national interest. This impressively wide ranging and penetrating analysis
makes a major contribution to our understanding of foreign policy as it has been pursued
in good times and in bad.
—Professor Ken Young, Head of Department of
Political Economy, King’s College, London
Colucci’s well-crafted description and critique of the national security doctrines of 16
American Presidents is a valuable resource for serious scholars as well as those creating
national security doctrines for future presidents. A solid contribution.
—Herman Pirchner, Jr., President American Foreign Policy Council
It is readable, persuasive, and highly relevant. It should prove popular as well.
—Dr. Theodore Hamerow, G.P. Gooch Professor Emeritus of
History at the University of Wisconsin, Madison
The National Security
Doctrines of the
American Presidency
How They Shape Our
Present and Future
Volume 1
LAMONT COLUCCI
Praeger Security International
The National Security
Doctrines of the
American Presidency
How They Shape Our
Present and Future
Volume 2
LAMONT COLUCCI
Praeger Security International
Copyright 2012 by Lamont Colucci
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval s ystem, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief
quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Colucci, Lamont.
The national security doctrines of the American presidency : how they shape our
present and future / Lamont Colucci.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-313-39228-3 (hbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-313-39229-0 (ebook)
1. United States—Foreign relations—Philosophy—History. 2. National security—
United States—Philosophy—History. 3. National security—United States—
History. 4. Strategic culture—United States—History. 5. Military doctrine—
United States—History. 6. United States—Military policy. I. Title.
JZ1480.C66 2012
355'.033573—dc23 2012008768
ISBN: 978-0-313-39228-3
EISBN: 978-0-313-39229-0
16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5
This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook.
Visit www.abc-clio.com for details.
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This book is printed on acid-free paper
Manufactured in the United States of America
To my wife, Kathryn, my daughter, Isabella, and my son, Alfred,
the reasons we need national security
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Volume 1
1 National Security Doctrines 1
2 The Washington Doctrine: The Forgotten Doctrine 22
3 The Monroe Doctrine: This Hemisphere Is Ours 37
4 The Polk Doctrine: The Stirrings of Manifest Destiny 49
5 The Lincoln Doctrine: National Security Unionism 60
6 The Roosevelt Doctrine: The Birth of Primacy 74
7 The Wilson Doctrine: We Will Make Man in Our Image 95
8 The Hoover Doctrine: The Delusional Doctrine 112
9 The FDR Doctrine: The Transition to Greatness 121
Appendix: Primary Documents for Volume 1 141
Volume 2
10 The Truman Doctrine: The Rise of the National Security State 309
11 The Eisenhower Doctrine: Liberation Tested 336
12 The Nixon Doctrine: The Doctrinal Retreat 356
13 The Carter Doctrine: The New Wilsonianism 372
viii Contents
14 The Reagan Doctrine: The Rebirth of Primacy and Liberation 388
15 The Clinton Doctrine: The Un-doctrine of Mirrors 409
16 The Bush Doctrine: Crusading Realism and
a Return to Grand Strategy 429
17 The Obama Doctrine: Leading from Behind 474
18 The Grand Strategy of the United States 500
Appendix: Primary Documents for Volume 2 509
Bibliography 727
Index 793