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The Resource The road to war : presidential commitments honored and betrayed, Marvin Kalb

The road to war : presidential commitments honored and betrayed, Marvin Kalb

Creator
Author
Summary
Not since Pearl Harbor has an American president gone to Congress to request a declaration of war. Nevertheless, since then, one president after another, from Truman to Obama, has ordered American troops into wars all over the world. From Korea to Vietnam, Panama to Grenada, Lebanon to Bosnia, Afghanistan to Iraq --why have presidents sidestepped declarations of war? Marvin Kalb, former chief diplomatic correspondent for CBS and NBC News, explores this key question in his thirteenth book about the presidency and U.S. foreign policy. Instead of a declaration of war, presidents have justified their war-making powers by citing "commitments," private and public, made by former presidents. Many of these commitments have been honored, but some betrayed. Surprisingly, given the tight U.S.-Israeli relationship, Israeli leaders feel that at times they have been betrayed by American presidents. Is it time for a negotiated defense treaty between the United States and Israel as a way of substituting for a string of secret presidential commitments? From Israel to Vietnam, presidential commitments have proven to be tricky and dangerous. For example, one president after another committed the United States to the defense of South Vietnam, often without explanation. Over the years, these commitments mushroomed into national policy, leading to a war costing 58,000 American lives. Few in Congress or the media chose to question the war's provenance or legitimacy, until it was too late. No president saw the need for a declaration of war, considering one to be old-fashioned. The word of a president can morph into a national commitment. It can become the functional equivalent of a declaration of war. Therefore, whenever a president "commits" the United States to a policy or course of action with, or increasingly without, congressional approval, watch out --the White House may be setting the nation on a road toward war
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
1 online resource
Contents
  • Truman's war in Korea
  • The hatching of an American "commitment"
  • Eisenhower: "My God, we must not lose Asia!"
  • Kennedy: the coup that failed
  • Johnson: "Let us continue"
  • Nixon: "There is no way to win this war"
  • One way or the other: getting out, finally
  • "Honorable exit" or "decent interval"
  • The Israel model: unprecedented and unpredictable
  • Where are they now?
Isbn
9780815724438
Instance
Label
The road to war : presidential commitments honored and betrayed
Title
The road to war
Title remainder
presidential commitments honored and betrayed
Statement of responsibility
Marvin Kalb
Creator
Author
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
Not since Pearl Harbor has an American president gone to Congress to request a declaration of war. Nevertheless, since then, one president after another, from Truman to Obama, has ordered American troops into wars all over the world. From Korea to Vietnam, Panama to Grenada, Lebanon to Bosnia, Afghanistan to Iraq --why have presidents sidestepped declarations of war? Marvin Kalb, former chief diplomatic correspondent for CBS and NBC News, explores this key question in his thirteenth book about the presidency and U.S. foreign policy. Instead of a declaration of war, presidents have justified their war-making powers by citing "commitments," private and public, made by former presidents. Many of these commitments have been honored, but some betrayed. Surprisingly, given the tight U.S.-Israeli relationship, Israeli leaders feel that at times they have been betrayed by American presidents. Is it time for a negotiated defense treaty between the United States and Israel as a way of substituting for a string of secret presidential commitments? From Israel to Vietnam, presidential commitments have proven to be tricky and dangerous. For example, one president after another committed the United States to the defense of South Vietnam, often without explanation. Over the years, these commitments mushroomed into national policy, leading to a war costing 58,000 American lives. Few in Congress or the media chose to question the war's provenance or legitimacy, until it was too late. No president saw the need for a declaration of war, considering one to be old-fashioned. The word of a president can morph into a national commitment. It can become the functional equivalent of a declaration of war. Therefore, whenever a president "commits" the United States to a policy or course of action with, or increasingly without, congressional approval, watch out --the White House may be setting the nation on a road toward war
Member of
Cataloging source
N$T
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Kalb, Marvin L
Dewey number
355.00973/0904
Index
index present
LC call number
E840.4
LC item number
.K36 2013eb
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
  • dictionaries
  • bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • United States
  • United States
  • Korea (South)
  • United States
  • Vietnam (Republic)
  • United States
  • Israel
  • Presidents
  • Political leadership
  • HISTORY
  • POLITICAL SCIENCE
  • Military policy
  • Military relations
  • Political leadership
  • Presidents
  • Israel
  • Korea (South)
  • United States
  • Vietnam (Republic)
Label
The road to war : presidential commitments honored and betrayed, Marvin Kalb
Instantiates
Publication
Antecedent source
unknown
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
multicolored
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Truman's war in Korea -- The hatching of an American "commitment" -- Eisenhower: "My God, we must not lose Asia!" -- Kennedy: the coup that failed -- Johnson: "Let us continue" -- Nixon: "There is no way to win this war" -- One way or the other: getting out, finally -- "Honorable exit" or "decent interval" -- The Israel model: unprecedented and unpredictable -- Where are they now?
Control code
844939266
Dimensions
unknown
Extent
1 online resource
File format
unknown
Form of item
online
Isbn
9780815724438
Level of compression
unknown
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
http://library.link/vocab/ext/overdrive/overdriveId
  • 486996
  • 22573/ctt4cfk1z
  • 5c61a37e-99e2-4def-98c4-6f151249d9b5
Quality assurance targets
not applicable
Reformatting quality
unknown
Sound
unknown sound
Specific material designation
remote
System control number
(OCoLC)844939266
Label
The road to war : presidential commitments honored and betrayed, Marvin Kalb
Publication
Antecedent source
unknown
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
multicolored
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Truman's war in Korea -- The hatching of an American "commitment" -- Eisenhower: "My God, we must not lose Asia!" -- Kennedy: the coup that failed -- Johnson: "Let us continue" -- Nixon: "There is no way to win this war" -- One way or the other: getting out, finally -- "Honorable exit" or "decent interval" -- The Israel model: unprecedented and unpredictable -- Where are they now?
Control code
844939266
Dimensions
unknown
Extent
1 online resource
File format
unknown
Form of item
online
Isbn
9780815724438
Level of compression
unknown
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
http://library.link/vocab/ext/overdrive/overdriveId
  • 486996
  • 22573/ctt4cfk1z
  • 5c61a37e-99e2-4def-98c4-6f151249d9b5
Quality assurance targets
not applicable
Reformatting quality
unknown
Sound
unknown sound
Specific material designation
remote
System control number
(OCoLC)844939266

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