Alternative U.S. Strategies for 1970-1980 (The Status Quo -- Yes or No?)
Abstract
In the last 25 years, the United States has fought two major wars, lost nearly a half-million lives, and given two-thirds of a trillion dollars to secure peace and create a world of free and cooperative nations. Both aims have been frustrated by aggressive communism, and the United States is again reluctantly at war. Since much of the world's future depends on U.S. strategic purposes, this thesis attempts to project current trends into the 1970-1980 period, examine the impact of certain alternative U.S. strategies on that environment, and determine the best strategic course of action for the United States. The paper cites authoritative forecasts indicating that the world of 1980 will be small, saturated, tense, terrorized, and tumultuous. Power politics will prevail and will result in a wider diffusion of power centers reminiscent of the Pre-World War II era. Prognostications point to continued subtle aggrandizement by the USSR and subversive aggression by Red China, along with the likelihood that by 1980 most of peripheral Asia will have fallen into the Chinese orbit. The emerging nations will continue as focal points of marginal progress and perpetual conflict, some conflicts inducing further U.S. military involvement. To determine how the United States can best cope with this future, three strategic approaches are analyzed (Peaceful Coexistence, Containment, and Roll-Back). The analysis discloses that none of these concepts, applied individually, can insure both our security and our ultimate objectives. However, a strategy encompassing the most positive aspects of all three concepts offers promise, provided the nation rekindles its will-to-win and accepts the costs and risks implicit in a strategy of initiative.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 08, 1966
- Accession Number
- ADA497993
Entities
People
- Charles M. Tyson
Organizations
- United States Army War College