ABSTRACT

The United States prevailed in its confrontation with the Soviet Union, because of three fundamental strengths. There are: the development of theories of engagement; the development of appropriate weapons systems with safeguards and controls; and the development of an Executive Branch management structure to implement the theories of engagement using both civilian and military assets wisely. For various reasons, the foreign policy community seems hesitant to grapple with when and where the United States should commit resources in the low-intensity arena. The gravity of our ideological rivalry with the Soviet Union linked to the risk of thermonuclear war led this country to devote much of its best intellectual capability to winning the Cold War. The integration of ideas and structures linked by a cooperative atmosphere and sustained by a public consensus that saw through the Cold War is lacking.