ABSTRACT
The national security strategy that was devised in the half-decade after World War II was simple and straightforward. It was based on the recognition that the Soviet Union under Stalin had taken on a hostile and expansionist mien, and that the United States had to protect itself against that expansion or it would become isolated in a hostile world. Economic components included strengthening nations devastated by World War II, including the Marshall Plan for Europe, the strengthening and formation of an alliance with Japan, and foreign aid and security assistance to many nations of the developing world. During the late '70s and early '80s the perception grew in important parts of the US defense community that the Soviet Union appeared to be planning to "win" an intercontinental nuclear war. In 1990, Iraq replaced the Soviet Union as the main threat to that oil supply.
