Introduction
The American National Security Policy has been under refinement and fine-tuning over the years. This is because of the various developments happening that necessitate readjustments at every point in time. The current crop of development programs occurs through the new phase of terrorism after the September 11 attack. Most of the challenges currently being worked on have everything to do with the new wave of terrorism after the assault. This National Security Policy has now been modeled on how to contain the fundamentalist from advancing their agenda on the land. The Department of Homeland Security was formed to advance this cause and bring to everything under control. The policy is therefore formulated around containing and managing the potential terrorists by profiling them, containing them and repulsing them. This paper seeks to analyze the security policies according to George F. Kennan and John Lewis Gaddis.
George Kennan versus John Gaddis
Comparison
George Kennan and Gaddis are America’s leading scholars and researchers on security matters. The two came during different regimes and had divergent views on security management in America. The difference in their views was inspired by changed security scenarios, which they found. The ability to understand each of them will depend on how much one gets to know the kind of security threats the country faced during each time.
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George Kennan is credited for his policy of containment in response to the threat American faced during the cold war. He was instrumental in the Reagan regime in formulating counter strategies to the advancement of the Soviet Union’s military offensive (Kennan & Kennan, 2012). In his researches, he writes about the need for America to strive to sabotage the Soviet Union in their pursuit to the superpower position. The president gave him the full mandate to handle the threat that America faced and he succeeded in bringing in the needed success. His earlier writings also inspired the Truman regime after the Second World War to reorganize the post-war economy. His work contributed to the success of national programs such as the Marshall Plan that brought America’s economy back on its feet after the shambles of the war.
Although they came at different times, Kennan and Gaddis presented solutions that were needed for similar security threats. Just like Kennan, Gaddis was faced with a challenge that involved a foreign element. In his book, Surprise, Security, and the American Experience , Gaddis came up with ways on which America needed to conduct proper and timely responses when faced with security threats. This basis informed the advice to the government to react with a force commensurate with the threat any time such arose. The two major attacks that inspired his writings on response were the 9/11 attack on the Bush administration and the burning of the Capitol Hill during the British invasion of the country in 1814. He proposed three principles that dominated the American foreign policy for nearly 100 years (Gaddis, 2009). These principles of preemption, unilateralism and hegemony were mostly used by the governments that came to sustain their security management endeavors. Such was how influential Gaddis was to the American security management departments. Just like Kennan’s work, Gaddis’s work efficiently helped the government in responding to the September 11 attack. There is a convergence of these two policies in what the Homeland Security Department currently does. The preemption tool proposed by Gaddis is similar to the racial profiling tool currently in use as suggested by Kennan. Both strategies are contributory to the management of security and the containment of imminent threats. The two scholars have been the face of American security management for the longest time.
Contrast
The two approaches by the scholars are distinct in a way. The Kennan way is more of a philosophical approach that advocates on economic warfare and wellbeing. He advises mostly on ensuring economic stability and marinating a lead position for denying the enemy access to control the country. This approach advocates for a continued internal stability for purposes keeping the enemy at bay. For instance, his aim was to get America to a strong economic position for security assurance In the Marshall Plan.
Gaddis’s advocacies, on the other hand, are more of direct responses to the military threats that came to the country. His were more of military maneuvers more than economic or social. For instance, he lays great emphasis on the need to preempt security threats. He discusses this as the way of building a formidable defense for the country. The other difference between Gaddis’s approach and the former is the fact that Gaddis focuses on developing an effective foreign policy while Kennan focuses on growing the internal strengths. The two approaches are thus complementary to each other and can be used at any time.
Conclusion
America, as a superpower, is faced with complex security threats. Its position as the world leader on many fronts pits it against many other ambitious nations. Terrorism angled on religion also acts as its problem as it struggles to elbow the Arab states from world geopolitics. This gives rise to the need to have a sound and progressive National Security Policy. The modern day America is at the most precarious security positions hence the need to be on high alert. The discussion above shows how relevant Gaddis and Kennan have been instrumental in suggesting best ways to make America safer.
References
Gaddis, J. L. (2009). Surprise, Security, and the American Experience . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Kennan, G. F., & Kennan, G. F. (2012). American Diplomacy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
