Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Fitzgerald, Keith

Keywords

American Political Development, Political Theory, Military, Professionalization, Militras, War Powers, National Security, Foreign Policy

Area of Concentration

Political Science

Abstract

As developments in contemporary warfare have led to new forms of military power, the historical connections between American society and its military have become attenuated. The possibility that small, limited conflicts can be fought by technical, professional military forces without requiring substantial demands of the public reassures political leaders that the costs of war will be small and dimly felt. As a result, few leaders go out of their way to communicate the merits of increasingly complex foreign policy. This study explores the political implications of recent changes in war-making, but also takes a much longer view by examining developments in American institutions of military and foreign policy over the past half-century, particularly focusing on their relationship to the nation's long-standing democratic traditions. Ultimately, this study shows that the institutions once structured to encourage public participation and deliberation over wars – the war powers framework among the branches of national government, and the military itself – may no longer work to sustain democratic practices.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida Libraries, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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