Overview
Discusses the evolution of the partnership between social science and US national security policy
Uses a combination of two different theories to illustrate their contribution to American strategy in Vietnam
Demonstrates the two mechanisms by which ideas enter the policy world: one that is diffuse like “water through limestone” and the other by way of policy entrepreneurs that work directly as proponents of policies based on their ideas
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Table of contents (5 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book examines how deterrence, coercion and modernization theory has informed U.S. policy, addressing why former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara’s famous description of the Vietnam War as the “social scientist’s war” is so accurate. By tracing the evolution of ties between social scientists and the government beginning in World War I and continuing through the Second World War and the early Cold War, the narrative highlights the role of institutions like the RAND Corporation, the Social Science Research Council and MIT’s Center for International Studies that facilitate these ties while providing a home for the development of theory. The author compares and contrasts the ideas of Bernard Brodie, Herman Kahn, Albert Wohlstetter, Thomas Schelling, Gabriel Almond, Lucian Pye and Walt Rostow, among others, and offers a cautionary tale concerning the difficulties and problems encountered when applying social science theory to national security policy.
Reviews
“As Janeen Klinger points out in her incisive analysis, social science theory has cast a long shadow on the use of American military power and nation-building efforts since the end of World War II. However, in her thorough assessment lies a cautionary tale: U.S. policymakers should be wary of finding comfort in the promise of scientific certainty or a guarantee of policy success. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan serve as the most recent reminders of these pitfalls.” (Frank Leith Jones, Professor of Security Studies, Department of National Security and Strategy, U.S. Army War College, USA)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Janeen M. Klinger is Emeritus Professor in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College, USA. She previously taught at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the University of Mary Washington.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Social Science and National Security Policy
Book Subtitle: Deterrence, Coercion, and Modernization Theories
Authors: Janeen M. Klinger
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11251-6
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-11250-9Published: 19 February 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-11251-6Published: 07 February 2019
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: IX, 252
Topics: Military and Defence Studies, Political Theory, Political History, US Politics, Foreign Policy, Social Theory