Bernard Brodie and the Foundations of American Nuclear Strategy (Modern War Studies)

Despite glasnost and the unexpected thaw in East-West relations, American foreign policy continues to evolve within the shadow of a nuclear strategy profoundly shaped by the writings of Bernard Brodie. Renowned as "the American Clausewitz," Bernard Brodie (1910-1978) was one of the premier architects and proponents of the strategy of deterrence and one of the most articulate voices in the debate over the role of nuclear weapons. His writings reflect his struggle with the dramatic shift in defense strategy brought about by "the bomb" and his unswerving belief that nuclear weapons had made total war obsolete. Steiner maps out Brodie's strategic thought as it developed from the best-selling Seapower in the Machine Age (1941) and The Absolute Weapon: Atomic Power and World Order (1946) through Strategy and the Missile Age (1959) and War and Politics (1973), and in his articles, lectures, reports, and speeches. He analyzes how Brodie and other strategists tried to cope with the juggernaut of change in nuclear weapons systems, Soviet expansionist aims, the wars in Korea and Vietnam, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and a host of other events and issues. Steiner shows that Brodie was instrumental in shaping American national strategy for the last half-century. "An outstanding contribution to the continuing debate about the nature of national security and the appropriate ways of analyzing war and developing defense policy in the modern world. Steiner not only traces the ideas and influence of one of the most creative strategic thinkers of our time, but also illuminates the intellectual, institutional, and political contexts in which Brodie worked."--Peter Paret, coeditor of The Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age. "A significant study that succeeds in tracing the evolution of a very important strategic thinker and his influence on American nuclear strategy."--George H. Questor, author The Future of Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Diplomacy. "I am impressed with the maturity of Steiner's analysis. He emphathizes with Brodie while at the same time giving an objective, balanced assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of Brodie's thought."--Alexander L. George, author of Deterrence in American Foreign Policy.

Brodie (1910-1978) in best known as the leading conceptualizer and proponent of using nuclear weapons to deter aggression. Steiner (political science, California State U., Long Beach) critically examines Brodie's work, the intellectual climate in which it was expressed, its influence on other strategic thinkers, and its continuing relevance.
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Includes bibliographical references (p. 347-356) and index.