Defense Policy

A deeper understanding of US Defense Policy in relation to current trends in the international threat environment. Examines the historical roots of US defense policy with a focus on the impact of isolationism, exceptionalism, and the Cold War on those policies. The policy-making process itself will be examined highlighting the influence of the realist paradigm, as well as the various organizational inputs, which help to shape the policy outcomes. A look at the post-Cold War period with emphasis on the impact of 9/11 and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction on changes in US policy.