Presidents and Arms Control

Presidents and Arms Control Synopsis

The Presidency and Arms Control: Process, Procedures, and Problems brings together two important topics of Miller Center research, the presidency and arms control, in a single volume. The book examines the arms control issue in successive administrations of the postwar presidents and reviews each president's involvement in the pursuit of arms reduction and limitation. Contributors discuss leadership style, presidential commitment to arms limitation, policy support and opposition, and functions of agencies and departments. In addition, the authors address the role of policies and procedures, predict the future of arms control, and propose arms reduction strategies in the post-Cold War environment. The book is divided into three parts. In Part I, contributors evaluate the records, approaches, and actions of presidents from John Kennedy through Bill Clinton. They chronicle the arms control goals of each president, policy influences, and competing policy perspectives within each administration. In Part II, the authors present a variety of approaches to the arms control issue. One contributor focuses on arms transfers, another stresses stability and mediation, and a third analyzes the role of Congress in arms agreements. Part III is an examination of the progress of and prospects for meaningful nuclear arms control. The author describes the current state of United States and Russian strategic nuclear deterrent forces, summarizes the steps necessary for U.S.-Russian nuclear disarmament, discusses the future roles of the United States and Russia in disarmament, and predicts the final stage of nuclear disarmament.