War and American Foreign Policy

This book explores presidential justifications of every major American military conflict from the War of 1812 to the Second Gulf War. It generates two important findings. First, presidents employ a specific standard (the Necessity Standard) publicly to justify decisions to go to war, and privately to make decisions regarding war and peace. The Necessity Standard holds that major military force should be used if no viable alternatives are available to protect vital interests or discharge duties. Second, when addressing the Necessity Standard, presidents have disclosed military and security policies that vary considerably in their patience with alternatives and their definitions of vital interests and duties. The book concludes by characterizing wars, categorizing presidential policies, and outlining how the central position of the Necessity Standard in the American politics of war and peace might affect policymaking processes, conflict management, and the public's perceptions of wars and foreign policy.

Offers a discussion of a jus ad bellum standard that spans the entire history of major American wars, from the War of 1812 to the Second Gulf War Shows that a Necessity Standard needs to be met when arguing to take the US to war Highlights the military and security policies that one can glean from presidential discussions of war

Autorentext

David J. Lorenzo is a professor in the College of International Affairs, National Chengchi University, Taiwan. He is the author of various books and other publications addressing political theory and issues of war and peace, including articles in the American Journal of Political Science, World Affairs, and Democracy and Security.

Inhalt
Chapter 1. Discussions of War and the Necessity Standard.- Chapter 2. The Necessity Standard, Arguments, and Norms.- Chapter 3. The War of 1812.- Chapter 4. The War with Mexico.- Chapter 5. The War with Spain and the Insurgency in the Philippines.- Chapter 6. The Great War.- Chapter 7. World War II.- Chapter 8. Korea and the Early Cold War.- Chapter 9. The War in Vietnam.- Chapter 10. The First Gulf War.- Chapter 11. The Second Gulf War.- Chapter 12. The Necessity Standard in Recent Policy Discussions.- Chapter 13. The Necessity Standard and Discussions of War in the US.