Description
Book SynopsisChallenging the belief that national security agencies work well, this book asks what forces shaped the initial design of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the National Security Council in ways that meant they were handicapped from birth.
Trade Review"Based on voluminous historical materials, this book is a must-read for all serious students of the American foreign policy process."—General Brent Scowcroft, Former National Security Advisor
"Zegart's incisive and revealing new book . . . convincingly argues that U.S. interests have been compromised . . . by the institutional design of national security agencies."—
Washington Monthly"Fifty years afer the creation fo the national securty decision making mechanisms, Zegart's anaysis is both historically timely and intellectually insightful. Her assessments should be seriously considered in any systematic efforts to update and reform the existing arrangements."—Zbigniew Brzezinski, Center for Strategic & International Studies
Table of ContentsList of figures List of tables Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1. Toward a theory of national security agencies 2. Origins of the national security council system: a 'brass-knuckle fight to the finish' 3. Evolution of the national security council system: 'from king's ministers to palace guards' 4. Origins of the joint chiefs of staff: 'fighting for the very life of the navy' 5. Evolution of the joint chiefs of staff: 'the swallows return to capistrano' 6. Origins of the central intelligence agency: 'those spooky boys' 7. Evolution of the central intelligence agency: 'one of the weakest links in national security' 8. Conclusion Appendices Notes Bibliography Index.
