Honest Broker?: The National Security Advisor and Presidential Decision Making (Joseph V. Hughes Jr. and Holly O. Hughes Series on the Presidency and Leadership)

Annotation Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who will be guarding the guardians? Juvenal The U.S. presidents decisions on national security and foreign policy reverberate around the world. The National Security Council (NSC) and the national security advisor are central to the decision making process. But how was the role of the national security advisor originally understood, and how has that understanding changed over time? Above all, how has the changing role of the national security advisor affected executive decisions and the implementation of policy? Now, presidential scholar John P. Burke systematically and thoroughly addresses these questions. In Honest Broker?, he reviews the office of national security advisor from its inception during the Eisenhower presidency to its latest iteration in the White House of George W. Bush. He explores the ways in which the original conception of the national security advisoras an honest broker who, rather than directly advocate for any certain policy direction, was instead charged with overseeing the fairness, completeness, and accuracy of the policymaking processhas evolved over time. In six case studies he then analyzes the implications of certain pivotal changes in the advisors role, providing thoughtful and sometimes critical reflections on how these changes square with the role of honest broker. Finally, Burke offers some prescriptive consideration of how the definition of the national security advisors role relates to effective presidential decision making and the crucial issues of American national security. Honest Broker? will be an important resource for scholars, students, political leaders, and general readers interested in the U.S. presidency, foreign policy, and national security Examines The History Of The Office Of National Security In The United States From Its Inception, Describing How The Role Of The National Security Advisor To The President Has Evolved Between The 1950s And 2000s, And Discusses The Influence Of The National Security Advisor On The Commander In Chief's Decisions. Introduction-the Case For The Honest Broker Role -- The Foundation Of Honest Brokerage: Truman's Executive Secretaries, Eisenhower's Special Assistants -- The Decline Of Honest Brokerage: Bundy As Nsc Advisor -- The Costs Of Absent Brokerage: Kissinger As Nsc Advisor -- The Benefits Of Balanced Brokerage: Scowcroft As Nsc Advisor -- Weak Brokerage, Insurgency, And Recovery: The Reagan Nsc Advisors -- The Costs Of Failed Brokerage: Rice As Nsc Advisor -- Conclusions -- Appendix A: Assistants To The President For National Security Affairs (nsc Advisors) -- Since 1953 -- Appendix B: The Others: Rostow, Brzezinski, Lake, Berger, And Hadley -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index. John P. Burke. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [445]-462) And Index. Explores the ways in which the original conception of the national security advisor - as an 'honest broker' who, rather than directly advocating for any certain policy direction, was instead charged with overseeing the fairness, completeness, and accuracy of the policymaking process - has evolved.