The Politics of National Security: Congress and U.S. Defense Policy (A Twentieth Century Fund Book)

over The Past Twenty Years, A Revolution Has Occurred In Relations Between The American Executive And Legislative Branches. Once A Passive Observer Of The President's Decisions On Defense Policy, The Congress Has Assumed A More Aggressive Role In Decisions On The Defense Budget, Arms Control, War Powers, Sales Of Weapons Abroad, And Covert Operations. Based On Interviews With Members Of Congress And Their Staffs, the Politics Of National Security Describes And Analyzes This Fundamental Change In The United States Political System, Concentrating On The Political Factors Behind The Congress' Greater Assertiveness. The Book Explains How And Why The Transformation Occurred And Addresses The Consequences For The Defense Of American Interests Abroad. Providing Insights Into The Inner Workings Of Congress, This Comprehensive Study Offers Practical Recommendations For Resolving The Long-standing Issues Between The Two Branches Of United States Government. Annotation. Over the past twenty years, a revolution has occurred in relations between the American executive and legislative branches. Once a passive observer of the President's decisions on defense policy, the Congress has assumed a more aggressive role in decisions on the defense budget, arms control, war powers, sales of weapons abroad, and covert operations. Based on interviews with members of Congress and their staffs, The Politics of National Securitydescribes and analyzes this fundamental change in the United States political system, concentrating on the political factors behind the Congress' greater assertiveness Over the past twenty years, a revolution has occurred in relations between the American executive and legislative branches. Once a passive observer of the President's decisions on defense policy, the Congress has assumed a more aggressive role in decisions on the defense budget, arms control, war powers, sales of weapons abroad, and covert operations. Based on interviews with members of Congress and their staffs, The Politics of National Security describes and analyzes this fundamental change in the United States political system, concentrating on the political factors behind the Congress' greater assertiveness. Over the past twenty years, controversy has raged over the greatly expanded role of Congress in the formulation of US national defence policy. Barry Blechman, who served as Assistant Director to the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and as a consultant to the Pentagon and numerous congressional committees, here analyses this fundamental shift in US policy-making. Based in part on interviews with Congress members and their staff, the book explains how and why these changes came about and what their consequences have been for the defence of American interests Based on interviews with US Congress members and their staff, this study explains why Congress has taken an expanded role in the formulation of US national defence policies. The author describes how these changes came about and their consequences for American interests.