US Civil-Military Relations After 9/11: Renegotiating the Civil-Military Bargain

Civil-military relations in America have essentially been a bargain to determine responsibilities and prerogatives of the civilian leadership and the military. Circumstances, be they political, social, or other, may render the terms of the bargain obsolete, resulting in tensions that call for their renegotiation. Substantial renegotiation of civil-military relations took place at the end of the Cold War and after the attacks of 9/11. Such debates bring on new answers to four questions that lie at the heart of civil-military relations: Who controls the military and how? Who serves? What is the appropriate role of the military? What degree of military influence is appropriate in a liberal society? Mackubin Thomas Owens examines answers to these questions in their historical context, both pre- and post-9/11--Publisher's description.