The Robert S. Strauss Center welcomed Dr. Julian Zelizer on March 11, 2010 to discuss the politics of national security from World War II to the present day.  Eugene Gholz, Strauss Center Senior Fellow, introduced Dr. Zelizer and moderated the event.

Dr. Zelizer introduced his recent book, Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security—From World War II to the War on Terrorism.  Dr. Zelizer began the discussion by noting that, contrary to Sen. Arthur Vandenburg’s assertion that “politics stops at the water’s edge,” politics has been pervasive in national security policy making since the creation of the modern national security state following World War II.  His book seeks to shatter the myth of a national security policy-making process that occurs in the absence of political influence.

Dr. Zelizer recounted the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1963 as an example of the relationship between national security policy and politics. He discussed how domestic political pressure on President Kennedy to take offensive action against the Cuban missile installations affected the Executive Branch’s decision-making process.  While withering attacks from political opponents combined with pressure from his own political advisors fearing a defeat for Democrats in November were undoubtedly on the President’s mind, Kennedy resisted the temptation to take action as a result of those concerns. 

Following the successful resolution of the Crisis, some of Kennedy’s political opponents attempted to take credit for spurring Kennedy to act on the missile threat, while others claimed Kennedy did not act swiftly enough, ignoring vital intelligence indicating the Soviets’ intentions to install missiles in Cuba.

Several stories in Dr. Zelizer’s book recount how political concerns, for better or worse, have shaped national security policy.  As the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis demonstrate, however, national security policy failures and successes have also shaped the domestic political fortunes of the party in power.  Dr. Zelizer fielded questions from the audience regarding the historical tendencies of Republicans and Democrats to use national security policy to score political points, changes in intensity of rhetoric employed by both sides over time and changes in bipartisanship over time with respect to national security policy making.

Dr. Zelizer introduced the thesis of his book, Arsenal of Democracy.

Following his formal presentation, Dr. Zelizer took questions from the audience.

He spoke to an attentive audience of University of Texas students and faculty, as well as Austin community members.

Julian E. Zelizer is Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University. He received his B.A. at Brandeis University and Ph.D. at The Johns Hopkins University and is one of the leading figures in the field of American political history and a well-known public intellectual. Professor Zelizer is the author and editor of numerous books that examine U.S. political leaders, policies and institutions since the New Deal. He is a well-known commentator in the national and international television, radio, and print media.  He was featured on a show by the History Channel, Great Moments on the Campaign Trail, which was awarded an Emmy in 2008. He is a regular contributor to CNN.com, Politico, The Huffington Post, and the Washington Independent. He has also published in Newsweek, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe and The American Prospect.