July 22, 2009
Back to the Future
In the rush to find the "big new idea" to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world, U.S. policymakers have perhaps abandoned tried and true doctrines too quickly. Three, in particular, seem to warrant renewed interest: the Powell Doctrine, the Nixon Doctrine and Containment. WPR takes a trip Back to the Future.
Feature articles in this theme:
By Eugene Gholz
22 Jul 2009 |
World Politics Review
The Nixon Doctrine was an effort to adapt U.S. foreign policy to the pressures of the Vietnam War, which
were stretching the military's ability to meet America's global commitments. At a time when the U.S. military is again stretched by its overseas commitments, could an updated version of the Nixon Doctrine help solve at least some of America's strategic problems?
By Michael A. Cohen
22 Jul 2009 |
World Politics Review
Once upon a time, there was a grand and influential foreign policy doctrine. It was based on some traditional notions about U.S. statecraft that placed severe constraints on when America went to war. This doctrine was called the Powell Doctrine, and after the twin conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan, it's hard to imagine a strategic doctrine that is more appropriate.
By Robert Litwak
22 Jul 2009 |
World Politics Review
In fashioning an appropriate policy response to the twin nuclear crises of Iran and North Korea, the Obama administration
should look to the strategic playbook of an earlier era: Containment,
the strategy adopted by the United States to meet the global challenge
posed by the Soviet Union, should be retooled to address these lesser
threats of the contemporary era.