Author Question: What general trends are found in U.S. defense spending in the last half-century? How has defense ... (Read 113 times)

go.lag · **on:** Jul 10, 2018

What general trends are found in U.S. defense spending in the last half-century? How has defense spending become entangled with ideological disputes?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Outline some possible foreign policy approaches for dealing with Iran's nuclear program. What kinds of difficulties are involved with each approach?

What will be an ideal response?

Dinolord · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 10, 2018

Answer to Question 1

An ideal response will:
1, Explain that defense spending was high during the Cold War and has generally decreased since then, with a few upward trends during the Vietnam War, the Reagan rearmament, and since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
2, Indicate that liberals argue that money spent on defense is money taken away from social needs such as health and education. Thus, the decrease in military spending at the end of the Cold War was a peace dividend to be used for important social programs.
3, Discuss how conservatives advocate increases in defense spending to keep America safe.

Answer to Question 2

An ideal response will:
1, Note that diplomacy, which would entail negotiating with Iran to achieve an outcome that is acceptable to both the United States and Iran, is not likely to work, since it has been tried and has not worked.
2, Discuss the possible economic sanction of an embargo on Iran's main export, oil, and how that approach would be unlikely to receive international support, since it would drive up energy prices everywhere.
3, Outline the potential solution of a CIA-sponsored overthrow of Iran's government, noting that the chances of succeeding in that venture are small.
4, Discuss the option of military action. This would not be a good choice because it would lead Iran to retaliate against the United States and Israel by engaging in terrorist attacks.