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Presidential Decisions for War: Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq
Contributor(s): Hess, Gary R. (Author)
ISBN: 0801891248     ISBN-13: 9780801891243
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
OUR PRICE:   $29.45  
Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats
Published: February 2009
Qty:
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- History | United States - 20th Century
- History | United States - 21st Century
- Political Science | American Government - Executive Branch
Dewey: 355.020
LCCN: 2008930595
Series: American Moment
Physical Information: 0.84" H x 6.48" W x 8.96" (0.96 lbs) 344 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 1950-1999
- Chronological Period - 21st Century
- Chronological Period - 20th Century
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:

Following World War II, Americans expected that the United States would wage another major war against a superpower. Instead, the nation has fought limited wars against much weaker states, such as North Korea, North Vietnam, and Iraq. This revised and updated edition of Presidential Decisions for War analyzes the means by which four presidents have taken the nation to war and assesses the effectiveness of each president's leadership during those conflicts.

Gary Hess recreates the unfolding crises in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq to probe the reasons why Presidents Truman, Johnson, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush and their advisors decided in favor of war. He compares the performance of the commanders-in-chief and evaluates how effectively each understood U.S. interests, explored alternatives to war, adhered to constitutional processes, and built congressional, popular, and international support. A new conclusion points out, that unlike the administrations of Truman, Johnson, and the elder Bush, George W. Bush's White House actively sought to change the international order through preemptive war and aggressive democracy building.

Fully revised and featuring an examination of how each of the presidents learned from history and juggled the demands on diplomacy, this comparative study of presidential war-making elucidates how effective executive leadership--or its absence--directly affects the outcome of wars.


Contributor Bio(s): Hess, Gary R.: - Gary R. Hess is a Distinguished Research Professor of History at Bowling Green State University. His published works include The United States at War, 1941-1945; Vietnam and the United States: Origins and Legacy of War; The United States' Emergence as a Southeast Asia Power, 1940-1950; and America Encounters India, 1941-1947.