National
security policy:
Every administration comes to power believing
that it is in control of national security policy. It redefines our national interests, lays out an multi-year
strategy for protecting those interests, and declares its domestic and
international agenda.
That illusion usually lasts a month or
two. Then reality hits. This course examines what
happens when national security plans meet reality. We focus on the
driving factors that determine the form and substance of American National
Security Policy.