The Third Option
Oxford University Press Inc (Verlag)
978-0-19-777925-5 (ISBN)
The three major instruments that guide United States foreign policy are the Treaty Power, the War Power, and the Spy Power. Within the category of Spy Power is the "Third Option": the use of covert action. Ever since the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1947, the US has often turned to the third option in the conduct of its international relations. This controversial approach includes covert propaganda campaigns, subversive political activities, economic sabotage, and paramilitary operations ranging from clandestine warfare to the assassination of foreign leaders. From the beginning of the Cold War to the present day, America's intelligence and national security agencies have employed all of these "third option" tools in order to advance America's global interests.
In The Third Option, the eminent national security scholar Loch Johnson provides a history of American covert warfare from 1947 to the present. In particular, he focuses on the morality and consequences of America's heavily veiled attempts to shape global affairs through its covert actions. Over the course of the book, a fundamental question comes into focus: Of what value has the Third Option been to the US as a complement to the nation's more open battlefield and diplomatic initiatives? Just as importantly, Johnson exposes the conflict between this controversial approach to achieving America's international objectives and the ideals that the US has always propounded: democracy, human rights, and liberalism. The Third Option closes with a sharp assessment of the policy, measuring its failures versus its successes. A richly detailed synthesis of America's covert action program ever since it became the world's preeminent power, this book serves as an ideal introduction for anyone interested in US foreign and national security policy.
Loch K. Johnson is Regents Professor Emeritus of International Affairs at the University of Georgia. His recent books include Spy Watching (Oxford University Press 2018) and National Security Intelligence (Polity 2017). He served as assistant to Chairman Frank Church, Senate Committee on Intelligence; as the first staff director for oversight, House Committee on Intelligence; and as assistant to Chairman Les Aspin, Presidential Commission on Intelligence. Professor Johnson led the founding of the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) at the University of Georgia. He was the inaugural "Professor of the Year" for the Southeast Conference consortium of universities, and he is a recipient of the Presidential Medal at the University of Georgia.
Figures and Tables
Preface
Introduction: The Hidden World of Clandestine Interventions
PART I: TRADECRAFT
1. The Forms of Covert Action
2. A Ladder of Clandestine Escalation
PART II: PRACTICE, 1947-1975
3. A Shadowy Foreign Policy, 1947-1960
4. Murder Most Foul, 1960-1975
PART III: PRACTICE, 1975-2020
5. A New Approach to Covert Action, 1975-2000
6. The Third Option in an Age of Terror, 2000-2020
PART IV: LAW AND ACCOUTABILITY
7. Legal Foundations
8. Decision Paths and Accountability
PART V: ETHICS AND ASSESSMENTS
9. Drawing Bright Lines: Ethics and Covert Action
10. The Third Option Reconsidered
Acknowledgments
Appendix A: Intelligence Leadership in the United States, 1946-2020
Appendix B: Intelligence Oversight Act of 1980
Notes
Abbreviations and Codenames
References and Further Reading
Index
| Erscheinungsdatum | 19.12.2023 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | 12 |
| Verlagsort | New York |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 218 x 140 mm |
| Gewicht | 499 g |
| Themenwelt | Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Europäische / Internationale Politik |
| ISBN-10 | 0-19-777925-5 / 0197779255 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-19-777925-5 / 9780197779255 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
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