The President as Commander in Chief   Term Paper ID:27248 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Stream of consciousness essay which records personal feelings about the role of the President as commander in chief. Touches briefly on a number of topics from Hiroshima to Haiti.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Stream of consciousness essay which records personal feelings about the role of the President as commander in chief. Touches briefly on a number of topics from Hiroshima to Haiti. Paper Introduction: The President as CommanderinChief As long as there are war criminals running loose in Bosnia, whether they be Serbian, Croat, or Muslim, the United States can ill afford to withdraw troops. The Bosnian mission of US troops has successfully kept the peace in a land where these war criminals are still bent on destruction of their rivals. If the United States does pull out, it will appear that it abandoned European allies who share peacekeeping duties and will encourage these rival factions to renew the brutal civil war which killed hundreds of thousands of Bosnians. If the United States and its allies are serious about a permanent peace in Bosnia as the right situation for withdrawing troops, there must be more pressure and actions to enforce the full compliance by all sides of the Dayton Accord. This includes: conti Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. This wouldperhaps have entailed an occupation force while Iraq rebuilt but this couldhave been left to the devices of the United States' Arab allies. A blockade was one of the options of the Kennedy administration duringthe Cuban missile crisis. Japan had no more air force or shipsfor kamikaze attacks, thus it would have been a matter of months beforeJapan surrendered after a blockade was enforced to starve the people intosubmission. (1992). A president with any military background would have been muchmore careful of morale, while making such landmark decisions and cuts, evenif they deemed such decisions as being necessary. If the United States does pull out, it will appear thatit abandoned European allies who share peacekeeping duties and willencourage these rival factions to renew the brutal civil war which killedhundreds of thousands of Bosnians. Although he has attempted a carefully nurturedrelationship over the last five years, he has done a number of things whichhave demoralized US troops. Norton & Company. Atherton, California: Stanford University Press. There seems to have been a very large cover-up in the Iran-Contraaffair. Clinton's lack of military service has probably hurt his relationshipwith the military. Aftercoming out on the worse end of eight devastating years of warfare, Iran wasin no shape to carry out the massive military operation required in aninvasion of Iraq. The blockade was comprehensive, including airand naval forces to wall off Cuba. (1994). We the people: A concise introduction toAmerican politics. First of all, the "don't ask, don't tell"policy was a blunder that satisfied no-one and angered many. George Bush did an excellent job of building a coalition among theworld's nations for facing Iraqi aggression in Kuwait. Hold on, Mr. President. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) still plays a pivotal rolein ensuring stability, trust, and cooperation among European nations.Europe has historically represented a hotbed of world conflict but NATOreduces this threat by providing an effective forum for members to discussgrievances, interests, and military and economic goals, freely. It has been argued that the US could not afford to remove Husein andleave Iraq vulnerable to invasion by Iran. This includes: continued monitoring of free electionsfor rebuilding governments in Bosnia; continued money and expertise fromthe United States in terms of rebuilding Bosnia's infrastructure; and thismeans a more concerted effort in investigating war crimes such as massacresas well as greater efforts to arrest and successfully prosecute suspectedwar criminals. Furhtermore, if the US failed todestroy all of the missiles, the Cubans and Russians would likely decide tomount a full-scale nuclear battle. The beat goes on: President Clinton's firstyear with the media. A faction which included RobertMcNamara, Secretary of Defense, and President Kennedy's brother Robert bothstrongly supported this tactic because it offered an alternative that wasunlikely to lead to an all-out nuclear war. Grant has been unfairly maligned by historians. References Brody, R.A. Finally, perhaps the biggest threat to United States interests existson the Korean Peninsula where 37, United States troops are stationed.This remains an extremely dangerous situation in which the North Koreagovernment has proven it will act irrationally in times of desperation.There has never been an armistice signed between the two Koreas. Truman was not correct in dropping the bombs in Japan. NATO'smilitary expertise and strength have proven in Bosnia that there aresituations where the long history of military cooperation among its variousmembers are more appropriate for operations than forces thrown togetherunder UN leadership from among less well trained military personnel with norecord of working jointly. However, in retrospect, theUS is still paying for their failure in terms of executing a final decisionin Iraq. While theClinton administration has supported some of the Pentagon's recommendationsregarding military expenditure and proposals for new weapons systems, thecuts have been drastic, almost unprecedented, and highly negative in termsof morale. Military invasion would also have beena poor primary response for the same reasons. The President as Commander-in-Chief As long as there are war criminals running loose in Bosnia, whetherthey be Serbian, Croat, or Muslim, the United States can ill afford towithdraw troops. Furthermore, the same bombing campaign used fordevastating Iraq's ability to wage war would have worked even betteragainst the less well-trained and equipped Iranian forces. There were other reasons which made a blockade theright answer. He hascurtailed military spending and closed a number of bases. Patterson, T.E. However, it would behoove the United States not tomake any further cutbacks because it appears we are at the minimumoperational level now. There are still potentialhotspots around the world which require a massive United States presencesuch as: Iraq where US naval might is still necessary to keep SaddamHussein at bay, and China and Taiwan where US forces still serve todiscourage Chinese aggression. Furthermore, the option of a full-scale attack andinvasion if the blockade failed to resolve the conflict (Kennedy, 1971,12). There would have been alarge loss of military and civilian lives, and a strong chance that theRussians would have ample time to launch the missiles. Oliver North was a central figure in this situation, and it ispossible that he belongs in jail for dealing in drugs and guns. The CIA had funded the military junta because it was anti-Communist but when these renegade leaders began dealing with Colombian drugcartels and ordering troops to abuse citizens in front of the internationalmedia, it was time for them to go. Donaldson, S. (1995). Japan's infrastructure and ability to conductoffensive war was gone. (1964). Thus, President Kennedy was correct in using a blockade to handle theCuban Missile Crisis. The Bosnian mission of US troops has successfully keptthe peace in a land where these war criminals are still bent on destructionof their rivals. Kennedy, R.F. The US is not making too many cutbacks in military spending becausethe quality of training and technology its military personnel are receivingcontinues to improve. Thirteen days: A memoir of the Cuban missilecrisis. Otherwise, the consequences could includea stain on the reputation of the US if the war flares up, or worse, theneed to send troops back into Bosnia under even more hostile and dangerousconditions. New York: W.W. It was anunnecessary, monstrously murderous act because Japan had already beenforced to its knees. The country was surrounded by enemies, the UnitedStates to the west with a powerful fleet capable of blockading itindefinitely, and China to the west. What is so alarming in the Iran-Contra affairis not the fact that they sold weapons to Iran through Israel nor dealtdrugs in Honduras to help the Contras gain weapons, but the fact that theReagan Administration may have been able to subvert the Constitution andget away with it. Unfortunately, US intervention hasbrought neither peace or prosperity to Haiti. (1987). At the same time, the blockade made the United States looklike the defender of the western hemisphere and to build coalitions withwestern nations such as the members of the Organization of American States(OAS) (Kennedy, 1971, 29). First of all, the US did not have the technology to performa surgical strike at that time which meant any attack would have involvedthe loss of substantial civilian lives. The choice offered increasedpressure on Cuba and the Soviet Union while also increasing the amount oftime for all parties to 'cool off' and consider the implications of anuclear conflagration. If the United States and its allies are serious about a permanentpeace in Bosnia as the right situation for withdrawing troops, there mustbe more pressure and actions to enforce the full compliance by all sides ofthe Dayton Accord. Brookings Institute. New York: RandomHouse. Although,at present levels the United States can protect South Korea without themassive use of millions of land mines. It alsoseems that a more serious investigation of Presidents Reagan and Bushshould have been conducted. Implementing the blockade was strategically and politically apt. In short, the Republican Guard and Sadam Hussein himself shouldhave been neutralized completely. New York: Columbia University Press. Itmade the Soviet Union into the position of looking like the unreasonableaggressor, willing to start a nuclear war, if they attempted to cross theblockade line. Additionally, the US must remain vigilantconcerning the situation in Russia because that country still has a hugemilitary and nuclear arsenal which is vulnerable to extremist or terroristcompromise. This judgment is made in light of the number ofbase closings and decommissioning of units and equipment verses the threatswhich still exist to American interests today. Decision-making in the White House: The olivebranch or the arrows. Sorenson T.C. He and the Pentagonalso did a fabulous job in conducting the war. Rosenstiel, T. Perspectives on the News. All-out attack of Cuba by the US, however,would have reversed these roles. Assessing the President: The media, elite opinionand public support. Historically, generals have been perceived as successful Presidents.The prime examples are the venerated Presidents Washington and Eisenhower.Recently, a new book has been published which argues that the Presidency ofUlysses S. This is utter nonsense. So long asgenerals elected President understand the Constitutional, representativenature of US government, and as well as the difference between how themilitary and government handle daily business, there is no serious causefor concern. It was the responsibility ofthe US to remove a dictatorial junta in Haiti which it had placed in powerand supported. Emotions still run high in Bosnia, especially the desirefor revenge for acts committed during the war, and the United Sates mustdiffuse this situation through the steps outlined above if serious thoughtis given to pulling out troops. The invasion of Haiti was an unfortunate but necessary step tobringing peace and democracy to that island. (1971). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.