ABSTRACT
Throughout the period since World War II international governmental organizations have played an important though not exclusive role in U.S. military security policies and have exerted significant influence on these policies. U.S. security has traditionally been defined as preserving the territorial integrity and political independence of the United States, protecting U.S. interests abroad, and promoting a global milieu in which the U.S. economy and polity could prosper. When governmental officials have gone beyond this abstract conception, U.S. security has been defined pragmatically in response to particular perceived threats.
