ABSTRACT
National security policy is the result of the interplay of domestic and international factors. This interaction works in both directions. In one direction, forces in the international environment define the threats with which the country must cope, and domestic perceptions rank those threats as more or less dangerous and poignant. International religious terrorism, for instance, emanates from the international environment, but actions taken by the United States to deal with that threat can make the environment more or less troubling and hostile.
