Strategic Direction from the President

Investigates the strategy and intent of the American president in pursuit of national security, using a case study approach spanning the last century. Strategic Direction takes inspiration from the following sentence in Henry Kissinger’s Diplomacy: “In the American system of government, in which the president is the only nationally elected official, coherence in foreign policy emerges—if at all—from presidential pronouncements.” The conditional phrase—if at all—suggests coherence doesn’t happen by itself, doesn’t happen very often, and doesn’t last very long. Why not? To answer this question, Strategic Direction uses a case study approach spanning 1915-2015. The first case study begins in 1915 when Woodrow Wilson justifies his decision to remain neutral in the first world war. The last case study ends in 2015 with a warning from Barack Obama about the risks of perpetual war. Through an exploration of verbal and written communication, including documents, executive orders, memorandums, and other materials, this book examines how presidents determine and pursue their foreign policy priorities.