Assignment 1 Historical Perspective (US Foreign Policy)
Pick two (2) similar federal policies that were discussed over a span of two (2) different administrations. For example, President Clinton’s and Obama’s healthcare policies or President’s George H.W. Bush’s and George W. Bush’s foreign policy.
Write a 34 page paper in which you
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The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are
Homeland Security Policies of George W. Bush and Harry S. Truman
Over the years the citizens of the United States have had to either sit or seethe when a policy was passed by a president or they benefited from the policy implementation. We find examples in the civil rights act or most recently Obama care when it comes to looking at highly protested policies. However, no matter the feeling or benefit, presidents are expected to make policies. This paper will focus on two specific polices that deal directly with homeland security and will focus in on the presidents that created and enforced these policies. According to Robert Harvey (2008) ever since post WWII the U.S. has had a conflicted attitude towards safety. The author of this paper will coagulate a time line of two presidents and their desire to appease the safety view of Americans.
For example, President George W. Bush and his homeland security act which grew out of the issues that arose after the 9/11 attacks. And also President Harry S. Truman’s national security bill which established the Department of Defense during the cold war. Each president had his own motive for signing these national security bills, but each bill grew out of similar problems that they each faced during their presidential areas. Both, presidents were under huge public pressure to make a decision and to keep the country safe and then make emergency presidential decisions.
This paper will focus on the: 1.) Historical perspective of the time when each policy was discussed or implemented. 2.) The context or the problem of the day and the urgency for the policy.3.)Analyze the social, economic, and political environments for the times the policies were discussed or implemented.4.) And will then criticize each policy for its effectiveness of the time. There will also be a comparison and contrast of the “War on Terrorism” and for all intensive purposes the “War of Communism”; this focus is important because there has been no other time than these two time periods that the country has been on edge for fear of international threat.
Historical Perspective of Harry S. Truman
“The War on Communism”
In 1949 Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act, this act like its successor the Homeland security act was implemented under great strain. The country was in the middle of a cold war and the fear of communism spreading was the culture of the country at the time. President Truman and his administration saw a need to unify the armed forces and administrative branches, especially after the dealings with the Soviet Union. In an almost eerie resemblance of the post 9/11 speeches the public was informed that the that the world was rapidly becoming a much more treacherous place, due to the new technology of air power and the growing popularity and vitality of authoritarian ideologies (Stuart,2003).
Interesting enough Brigadier General Billy Mitchell and Alexander de Seversky, argued that airplanes would soon place American cities in direct jeopardy (Sherry, 1987:30); one would only need to glance back at the twin towers and agree. Meanwhile...
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