It has long been a truism that prior to George W. Bush, politics stopped
at the water's edge--that is, that partisanship had no place in national
security. In Arsenal of Democracy, historian Julian E. Zelizer shows
this to be demonstrably false: Partisan fighting has always shaped
American foreign policy and the issue of national security has always
been part of our domestic conflicts.
Based on original archival findings, Arsenal of Democracy offers new
insights into nearly every major national security issue since the
beginning of the cold war: from FDR's masterful management of World War
II to the partisanship that scarred John F. Kennedy during the Cuban
Missile Crisis, from Ronald Reagan's fight against Communism to George
W. Bush's controversial War on Terror.
A definitive account of the complex interaction between domestic
politics and foreign affairs over the last six decades, Arsenal of
Democracy is essential listening for anyone interested in the politics
of national security.