American Civil-Military Relations: The Soldier and the State in a New Era

by Suzanne C. Nielsen (Editor), Don M. Snider (Editor)

Overview

American Civil-Military Relations offers the first comprehensive assessment of the subject since the publication of Samuel P. Huntington's field-defining book, The Soldier and the State. Using this seminal work as a point of departure, experts in the fields of political science, history, and sociology ask what has been learned and what more needs to be investigated in the relationship between civilian and military sectors in the 21st century.

Leading scholars—such as Richard Betts, Risa Brooks, James Burk, Michael Desch, Peter Feaver, Richard Kohn, Williamson Murray, and David Segal—discuss key issues, including:
• changes in officer education since the end of the Cold War;
• shifting conceptions of military expertise in response to evolving operational and strategic requirements;
• increased military involvement in high-level politics; and
• the domestic and international contexts of U.S. civil-military relations.

The first section of the book provides contrasting perspectives of American civil-military relations within the last five decades. The next section addresses Huntington's conception of societal and functional imperatives and their influence on the civil-military relationship. Following sections examine relationships between military and civilian leaders and describe the norms and practices that should guide those interactions. The editors frame these original essays with introductory and concluding chapters that synthesize the key arguments of the book.

What is clear from the essays in this volume is that the line between civil and military expertise and responsibility is not that sharply drawn, and perhaps given the increasing complexity of international security issues, it should not be. When forming national security policy, the editors conclude, civilian and military leaders need to maintain a respectful and engaged dialogue.

American Civil-Military Relations is essential reading for students and scholars interested in civil-military relations, U.S. politics, and national security policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801892875
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	10/05/2009
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Suzanne C. Nielsen is a professor of political science and the head of the Department of Social Sciences at the US Military Academy, West Point.

Don M. Snider is an emeritus professor of political science at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, a visiting research professor at the Army War College, and coeditor of The Future of the Army Profession.

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Jim Marshall
Foreword, by Barry R. McCaffrey
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Are Civil-Military Relations Still a Problem?
Chapter 3. A Broken Dialogue: Rumsfeld, Shinseki, and Civil-Military Tension
Chapter 4. Before and After Huntington: The Methodological Maturing of Civil-Military Studies
Chapter 5. Hartz, Huntington, and the Liberal Tradtion in America: The Clash with Military Realism
Chapter 6. Winning Wars, Not Just Battles: Expanding the Military Profession to Incorporate Stability Operations
Chapter 7. Professionalism and Professional Military Education in the Twenty-first Century
Chapter 8. Responsible Obedience by Military Professionals: The Discetion to Do What Is Wrong
Chapter 9. The Military Mind: A Reassessment of the Ideological Roots of American Military Professionalism
Chapter 10. Changing Conceptions of the Military as a Profession
Chapter 11. Militaries and Political Activity in Democracies
Chapter 12. Enhancing National Security and Civilian Control of the Military: A Madisonian Approach
Chapter 13. Building Trust: Civil-Military Behaviors for Effective National Security
Chapter 14. Conclusions
Notes
List of Contributors
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Scholars and students of civil-military relations will want to read this book. This is an excellent time for this book to appear as there have been substantial advancements in the study of civil-military relations over the past decade.
—Thomas Langston, Tulane University

Thomas Langston

Scholars and students of civil-military relations will want to read this book. This is an excellent time for this book to appear as there have been substantial advancements in the study of civil-military relations over the past decade.

— Thomas Langston, Tulane University

Editorial Reviews

American Civil-Military Relations is a valid and vital updating of Huntington's work and should be on every military reading list today.
—Colonel (Ret.) Robert Killebrew, Parameters

An extremely valuable addition to the literature on civil-military relations, a vitally important issue for both scholars and all government policymakers.
—John R. Ballard, On Point

From the Publisher

American Civil-Military Relations is a valid and vital updating of Huntington's work and should be on every military reading list today.

Parameters - Colonel (Ret.) Robert Killebrew

An extremely valuable addition to the literature on civil-military relations, a vitally important issue for both scholars and all government policymakers.

On Point - John R. Ballard

An extremely valuable addition to the literature on civil-military relations, a vitally important issue for both scholars and all government policymakers.

— John R. Ballard

On Point

American Civil-Military Relations is a valid and vital updating of Huntington's work and should be on every military reading list today.

— Colonel (Ret.) Robert Killebrew

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