ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies some of the key developments on the US political scene that seem most relevant to foreign policy and to suggest what some of the implications of the changes may be for US foreign policy, with particular reference to the needs of North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the 1980s. Any description of political trends should also, however, be accompanied by a caveat as to the extreme volatility contemporary of American politics. The 1960s witnessed, of course, the breakup of the foreign policy consensus that had crystallized after World War II. The drain on presidential and staff influence, time, and resources is enormous. It also means less presidential attention to domestic issues and, quite possibly, sacrificing presidential positions on some of those issues in order to win support on the foreign policy issues. The 1960s saw the dismemberment of leadership structures in the United States. Political parties disintegrated as meaningful organizations.
