1st Edition

Getting to 67 The Post-Cold War Politics of Arms Control Treaty Ratification

By Patrick Homan Copyright 2016

    All four post-Cold War presidents have attempted to negotiate and ratify at least one major arms control agreement. However, their experiences with arms control treaty ratification have differed greatly from those of their Cold War predecessors. The main theme of this book is that domestic politics have significantly impacted attempts to ratify arms control treaties in the polarized post-Cold War political environment. Each president and each treaty faced varying amounts of support and opposition from the numerous institutions and agents within American foreign policy-making. This book uses an eight-point analytical framework to examine five post-Cold War arms control treaty ratification debates in order to try and determine what political conditions or variables account for their success or failure.

    Introduction  1. The History of Getting to 67  2. The START of a New Relationship  3. The CWC: Overcoming Partisan Stalemate  4. Distraction, Revenge, and the Death of the CTBT  5. A Different SORT of Debate  6. A New START for Democrats?  7. Conclusions

    Biography

    Patrick Homan is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Dominican University, USA.

    "Getting to 67 is an insightful and analytically sound examination of the forces that have shaped U.S. arms control ratification decisions in the post-Cold War era. Readers with an interest in foreign policy, national security, international relations, and American politics will truly enjoy Patrick Homan's five compelling case studies, framework for future analysis, and overall thoughtful treatment of the subject."

    -- Christopher M. Jones, Bradley University

    "This book is a well-conceived, richly descriptive, and conceptually organized examination of the domestic politics of arms control. With its comparative analysis of the full range of post-Cold War arms control treaties, up to and including the most recent experience in the Obama administration, it is unique and timely. Its theoretically meaningful and practically relevant insights make it of interest to both scholars and practitioners of US foreign policy, security studies and international relations generally."

    -- James M. Scott, Texas Christian University; Co-Editor of Political Research Quarterly

    "Patrick Homan has provided a valuable and updated analysis of the factors that affect the ratification of arms control treaties in the post-Cold War world. This book will be useful for students, professors, and analysts who study this subject and executive and legislative staffers who work this problem. Highly recommended."

    -- Dan Caldwell, Pepperdine University

    "Getting to 67 is a timely and important contribution to the literature on arms control. Drawing on his examination of the ratification politics of five post-cold war arms control agreements, Patrick Homan constructs a new framework for explaining and predicting the outcome of this process. This framework, which draws upon and modifies cold war era research, is needed because of the changing nature of American domestic politics. It promises to be a valuable reference point for future arms control studies."

    -- Glenn Hastedt, James Madison University

    "In Getting to 67, Patrick Homan offers an up-to-date and rich treatment of the complex politics of arms control treaty ratification in the United States. The book provides a comprehensive survey of actors and conditions, featuring original case material and valuable theoretical insights, that helps to explain the puzzle behind treaty ratification successes and failures."

    -- Jeffrey S. Lantis, The College of Wooster