Full Description
President Bill Clinton, speaking as might any commander-in-chief, on the eve of his decision to deploy ground troops to Bosnia in 1995, declared he had "no responsibility more grave than putting soldiers in harm's way." Such a statement suggests that a study of the decision-making process associated with the weighty matters of using force would be enlightening. Indeed, it is. The decision-making process is far from standardized nor is it simple.
While all individuals associated with important decisions about national security and the lives of America's service members take their responsibilities seriously, the processes by which they reach their conclusions are varied and complicated. The book traces eight traditional and emerging theories or models of decision-making by first explaining the components of each model and then by analyzing its practical application through three case studies. Each chapter concludes with a discussion of the utility and explanatory power of the particular model.
Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Contents
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Rational Actor Model
Example 1: Truman's Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb on Japan, 1945
Example 2: Reagan's Decision to Bomb Libya, 1986
Example 3: Bush's Decision to Halt Operation Desert Storm, 1991
Utility of the Rational Actor Model
Chapter 2: Prospect Theory
Example 1: Washington's Decision to Attack Trenton, 1776
Example 2: Meade's Decision Not to Pursue Lee After Gettysburg, 1863
Example 3: Clinton's Decision to Withdraw from Somalia, 1993
Utility of the Prospect Theory
Chapter 3: Poliheuristic Theory
Example 1: Eisenhower's Decision Not to Intervene in Hungary, 1956
Example 2: Kennedy's Authorization of the Bay of Pigs, 1961
Example 3: Johnson's Decision to De-escalate US Involvement in Vietnam, 1968
Utility of the Poliheuristic Theory
Chapter 4: The Bureaucratic Model
Example 1: The Confederate Departmental System's Impact on the Vicksburg Campaign, 1862-1863
Example 2: The Army-Air Force Helicopter Rivalry, 1950s-1960s
Example 3: The Department of State and the Department of Defense and the Multinational Peacekeeping Force in Beirut, 1982
Utility of the Bureaucratic Model
Chapter 5: The Organizational Process Model
Example 1: Strategic Formulation in the Vietnam War, 1960s-1970s
Example 2: The Decision to Abort the Iranian Hostage Rescue Mission, 1980
Example 3: The Federalization of the California Army National Guard During the Los Angeles Riot, 1992
Utility of the Organizational Process Model
Chapter 6: The Small Group Model
Example 1: The Blockade Board in the Civil War, 1861
Example 2: The Executive Committee During the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
Example 3: The Restricted Interagency Group in Developing a Strategy Toward Nicaragua, 1980s
Utility of the Small Group Model
Chapter 7: The Elite Theory
Example 1: The Influence of the Congressional Black Caucus in the Decision to Intervene in Haiti, 1993 and 1994
Example 2: The Role of the Media in the Decision to Intervene in Somalia, 1992
Example 3: The Agenda of Secretary of State Madeline Albright in the Decision to Intervene in Kosovo, 1999
Utility of the Elite Theory
Chapter 8: The Pluralist Model
Example 1: Conscription in the Confederate Army, 1861-1864
Example 2: The Reflagging of Kuwaiti Tankers in the Midst of the Iran-Iraq War, 1987-1988
Example 3: The Implementation Force (IFOR) in Bosnia, 1995
Utility of the Pluralist Model
Epilogue
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
