The Missile Defense Controversy: Technology in Search of a Mission [Paperback]

Ernest J. Yanarella (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813190320 | ISBN-13: 978-0813190327 | Publication Date: November 4, 2002 | Edition: REV and Updated

" This revised and updated edition identifies the cultural factors and specific administrative agendas that have shaped the way we view ballistic missile technology. Three new sections connect our recent, sudden shifts in foreign policy to ongoing historical patterns. Whether cautioning against the "almost neurotic pursuit of absolute security" or examining the powerful influence of religion on military buildup, Ernest J.Yanarella uncovers the deeply ingrained attitudes that will determine the future of American missile defense.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A very useful history of the antiballistic missile controversy." -- American Historical Review

"For anyone interested in the force of the 'technological imperative' in determining foreign policy, this admirably uncluttered and concisely presented study is essential reading." -- Book Forum

"An excellent book, carefully researched, logically constructed, well worth reading. It is one of the most thorough case studies of national security decision making." -- Military Affairs

About the Author

Ernest J. Yanarella is a professor of political science at the University of Kentucky.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky; REV and Updated edition (November 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813190320
• ISBN-13: 978-0813190327
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,870,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Neurotic Pursuit of Absolute Security--Impossible Goal, February 6, 2004

By 

Ernest Yanarella "Ernie Yanarella" (Lexington, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Missile Defense Controversy: Technology in Search of a Mission (Paperback)

Ballistic missile defense is a strategic idea that simply will not die. Having been put to rest (or so we thought) by the 1972 ABM Treaty between the US and USSR, it continues to be disinterred every couple administrations. Ironically, the pattern that remains constant is that the US and the (now former) Soviet Union are never in synch on the merits of the deployment of such a system. Whenever top American administrator favor it, Soviet leaders oppose it--and vice versa. Only former Secretary of Defense McNamara's coercive campaign to convince the Soviet Union that the US would keep multiplying it strategic offensive force in the face of possible ABM deployment finally bullied the Soviets into accepting a treaty. My book catalogues the early chapters of this seemingly unending saga from the origins of ABM systems to the ABM accord. It highlights the early fascination of the Soviets of a system that they saw as merely protecting people countered by the American fear that such a system would threaten or erode our offensive deterrent capability. The tale continues through the Reagan and Clinton and the George W. Bush administrations, as a system that apparently cannot measure up to awesome technological demands looks for a rationale politically convincing enough to persuade enough Congressional legislators and American citizens to underwrite such a questionable (and potentially destabilizing) strategic program. In the end, the American pursuit of a defensive shield can perhaps best be explained as a neurotic quest for absolute security saved from oblivion by the emergent Age of Terror.