Korean War, 54–56
Krauthammer, Charles, 4
Kurdish Peshmerga forces, 239
Kuwait War (1990), 70, 78–79, 91–93, 95. See also Operation Desert Storm
Kyushu, Japan: and World War II, 36
Latvia, 53, 87
Lavrov, Sergei, 166, 195, 202
Lawrence, Ernest, 57
leadership
and benefits of strength of U.S. defense, 207–8
bin Laden’s comment about U.S., 98
bipartisan tradition of maintaining American supremacy and, 3
British role in world, 39–40
in Cold War, 88–89, 197
as failure for U.S. military, 70
importance of, 4
and NATO, 249
Obama and, 208, 212
as reason for American exceptionalism, 2
and restoring American power, 231, 249, 255
role of Allied summits in world, 40
Truman’s comment about, 231
and U.S. defense spending, 212–13
and U.S. as “last best hope of earth,” 258–59
and U.S. Regional Defense Strategy, 95
and U.S. in World War II, 17–18, 38–41, 231–32
Vietnam War and, 70
Lebanon, 174, 245
Lend-Lease program, 18–20, 21
Levey, Stuart, 176, 177–78, 179, 183, 245
Libi, Abu Yahya al-, 158
Libya
China and, 224
closing of U.S. embassy in, 168, 212
and financing of illicit activities, 176
ISIS in, 168
missiles and, 224
nuclear program in, 116–17, 254
and restoring American power, 233
and U.S. defense spending, 233
See also Benghazi, Libya; Qaddafi, Muammar
Life magazine
and American exceptionalism, 41
and role of U.S. in World War II, 20, 41
Lilienthal, David, 57
Lincoln, Abraham, 4, 38, 226–27, 257, 258, 259
Lindbergh, Charles, 19–20
Lippmann, Walter, 20
Lithuania, 53, 87, 204
Low, Rex, 28
Luxembourg, 11, 52
MacArthur, Douglas, 55
Madison, James, 4
Makiya, Kanan, 110
Maliki, Nouri al–, 144, 162, 166
Manchester, William, 40
Manhattan Project, 33–34
Mao Zedong, 56
Marines, U.S., 35, 36, 55, 209, 211, 234–35. See also military, U.S.
Marshall, George C.
and American exceptionalism, 41
D-Day and, 28
Eisenhower’s letters to/from, 9, 33
and European Theater, 24
and expansion of Nazi Germany, 11–12
Morgenthau’s meeting with, 13–14
and need for building and equipping U.S. Army, 13–16
and Pacific Theater, 23–24, 36
and safeguarding American history, 5
as secretary of state, 43–44
and size of American army, 12–13
Stalin’s meeting with, 43–44
swearing in as Army chief of staff of, 11, 12
and U.S. as “last best hope of earth,” 258
views about Soviet Union of, 44
Marshall Plan, 5, 48–50, 170
Masaryk, Jan, 50
Massive Ordnance Penetrator, 246
Massoud, Ahmed Shah, 102
Mattis, Jim, 233
McCarthy, Andrew, 95–96
McChrystal, Stanley, 117, 148–49
McCullough, David, 35
McFarland, Katrina, 221
McFaul, Michael, 197
McNamara, Robert, 69
Medvedev, Dmitry, 127, 199, 200
Middle East
Carter administration and, 78–79
Iran’s influence/role in, 174, 186, 187, 191, 193, 204, 212, 241–42, 245–46
and Nixon’s foreign policy strategy, 71
and “pivot to Asia,” 214–15
and proliferation of nuclear weapons, 194, 253, 254
and restoring American power, 239, 241–42, 245–46, 253, 254
Russia/Soviet Union and, 92–93, 204
U.S. commitment to, 78–79
U.S. Regional Defense Strategy for, 94–95
U.S. retreat from, 187, 211, 241, 258
See also specific person or nation
Midway, Battle of, 5, 26
Mihdhar, Khalid al, 105
military, Chinese, 221, 224
military-industrial complex: Eisenhower and, 61–62
military, U.S.
benefits of strength of, 207–8, 212–13
and China, 221, 247
during Cold War, 94, 124
diplomacy and, 254–55
force structure and size of, 213–14, 215, 234
Kennedy’s views about, 227
NATO and, 249
and Nazi expansion in Europe, 12
Obama and, 3, 124, 204, 208–11, 213–14, 226, 234
as option in Iran-U.S. relations, 189, 192, 193, 246
as option in Russia-U.S. relations, 203, 249–50
reductions in, 3, 204, 208–20, 226, 233, 234–35
and regional threats to U.S., 242–43
and restoring American power, 232–33, 234–35, 238, 242–43, 246, 247, 249–50, 254–55
role in U.S. of, 62
and safeguarding American history, 5
technology and, 215–16, 247
terrorism and, 238
and “two-war” strategy, 213–14, 234
and Ukraine, 250
and U.S. role as world power, 232
See also defense spending, U.S.; Joint Chiefs of Staff; Special Operations, U.S.; specific person or branch
Millay, Edna St. Vincent, 20–21
Ministry of Defense, Iran’s, 179
missiles
Carter and, 77
and Cold War, 60, 62, 65, 66–67, 71–72
Eisenhower and, 62
Kennedy and, 62
New START treaty and, 217, 251
Obama and, 126–27, 217, 236, 250, 252
Reagan and, 83–85
reductions in U.S., 204, 236
and restoring American power, 236, 241, 251, 252
SALT and, 71–72
and SDI, 83–85
See also Cuban Missile Crisis; specific treaty or nation
Mogadishu, Somalia: downing of U.S. helicopters in, 96–98
Mohammed, Khalid Sheikh, 108–9
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, 11
Molotov, Vyacheslav, 43, 44, 49
Moniz, Ernest, 188
morals
and differences between Iran and U.S., 193
and Obama’s comment about moral authority, 126
and similarities between Russia and U.S., 196
Morgenthau, Henry, 13–14
Morrell, Mike, 157
Mosaddeq, Mohammad, 180
Mousavi, Mir Hossein, 182
Mullen, Mike, 151
Munich Agreement, 11, 193–94
Murphy, Robert, 44
Muslim Brotherhood, 241
Mussolini, Benito, 18
mutual assured destruction (MAD), 68
Nagasaki, Japan, bombing of, 5, 34, 35, 36
Napolitano, Janet, 137
Nasr, Vali, 153
National Archives: Obama speech at, 134–35
National Association of Evangelicals: Reagan speech before, 83
National Counterterrorism Center, 136
National Defense Panel (NDP), 207–8, 211, 234, 235, 250
National Security Agency (NSA)
authorizations for, 103–6, 133, 235, 240–41
and intelligence about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, 99
National Security Council
and Afghanistan War, 147, 150
Bush (George W.) and, 147
and d
evelopment of nuclear weapons, 56–57
and ending wars, 131
and enhanced interrogation methods, 107, 108, 133, 134
Iran and, 183, 184
Iraq War and, 138
Obama and, 131, 138
NATO. See North Atlantic Treaty Organization
natural gas, 237, 251
Navy, Chinese, 222
Navy, U.S., 211, 222, 234–35. See also military, U.S.
Nemeth, Miklos, 86, 88
Netherlands, 13, 52
neutron bombs, 77–78
New Economic School (Moscow): Obama speech at, 195–96, 197
New START Treaty (2010), 200–201, 217–18, 251, 253
New York Stock Exchange, 15
New York Times
and authorizations for NSA, 105
Helsinki Accords story in, 76
and Khrushchev-Kennedy summit, 63–64
Marshall interview in, 13
Millay poem in, 20–21
Nimitz, Chester, 26
9/11 Memorial & Museum (New York City), 106
Nitze, Paul, 45, 56–57
Nixon, Richard, 60–61, 69, 70–72, 76
Noonan, Peggy, 82
Normandy. See D-Day
Normandy American Cemetery, 31–32
North Africa, 25, 27, 39, 154. See also specific nation
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 5, 52–53, 55, 67, 126, 129, 189, 197, 198, 203, 204, 249–51, 258
North Korea
and American leadership and supremacy, 2
and financing of illicit activities, 176
nuclear program in, 125–26, 141, 217, 220, 252
Obama and, 125–26
and restoring American power, 252
See also Korean War
Northern Alliance, 102, 103
Northwest Airlines Flight 253: attempted bombing of, 136–37
Norway, 52
Novak, Robert, 76–77
NPT. See Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
NSC-68, 57–59
nuclear agreement, U.S.-Iran (2015)
and destabilizing activities of Iran, 174
and disclosures about Iranian nuclear activity, 188–89, 244
and growth of Iran’s nuclear program, 204
and inspections/verification, 188, 191, 244
and Iran’s missile program, 189–90, 194
Munich agreement compared with, 193–94
non-negotiable elements for, 244
Obama Cross Hall speech about, 186–87
Obama falsehoods concerning, 186–89
Obama press conference about, 189
Obama’s gamble on, 3
and proliferation of nuclear weapons, 187
and restoring American power, 243–46
“sunset” provision in, 187
and U.S. military option, 189, 192, 193
weaknesses in, 186–94
withdrawal from, 243–44
nuclear framework agreement, U.S.-Iran (2013), 185
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), 172, 174, 185–86, 203, 253
nuclear program/weapons
al Qaeda and, 93
and American leadership and supremacy, 2
Bush (George W.) and, 216
Carter and, 77
Cold War and, 56–59, 66, 68, 70, 216, 218
detection of, 253–54
development of, 56–59
importance of, 220
ISIS and, 168–69
Kennedy and, 216
“Nuclear Posture Review” and, 218
Obama and, 3, 125–26, 208, 216–19
proliferation of, 2, 187, 237, 251–55
Reagan and, 85
and restoring American power, 251–55
terrorism and, 101, 220, 252, 254
Truman and, 216
and U.S. military as an option, 255
and U.S. as “nuclear umbrella,” 187, 219, 252
See also nuclear agreement, U.S.-Iran (2015); nuclear framework agreement, U.S.-Iran (2013); specific nation or treaty
nuclear program/weapons, U.S.
Clinton’s (Hillary) comments about, 200–201
and education of specialists, 237
inspections and, 201
Kennedy and, 232, 252
loss of preeminence of, 216–19
modernizing and upgrading, 236–37, 253
as nuclear umbrella for other nations, 187, 219, 252
Obama and, 125–26, 201, 204, 252
and restoring American power, 236–37, 252, 253
size of, 94, 125–26, 200–201, 204, 219, 232
and Soviet-U.S. relations, 232
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, 68
Nunn, Sam, 78
Obama, Barack
and American exceptionalism, 2, 126
apologizes for America, 128
assessment of American foreign policy by, 124
and bipartisan tradition of maintaining American supremacy and leadership, 3
as diminishing American power, 3
elections of 2008 and, 112, 123, 131, 147
elections of 2012 and, 146, 151, 153–61, 199
and ending wars, 131, 138–53, 156
foreign policy of, 3, 71
goals/objectives of, 137–38, 148, 225
inaction of, 170
inaugural address of, 171
legacy of, 226
politics and, 149, 151, 153
and restraint of American power, 3
State of the Union Address (2012) of, 146–47
and U.S. as creator of world problems, 123–24, 125–26
world tour of, 125–26
worldview (vision) of, 3, 127–28, 196, 205, 208, 225
See also specific person or topic
Odierno, Ray, 117, 140–41, 210, 212
Office of Navel Intelligence, U.S., 222
Ogburn, Charlton Jr., 35
Ohrdruf-Nord concentration camp, 33
oil, 184, 190, 237, 251
Okinawa: in World War II, 5, 36
Oklahoma City bombing, 101
Omaha Beach: in World War II, 6, 28, 31
Oman: and Iran-U.S. relations, 184–85
Omar, Mullah, 102–3
Operation Desert Shield, 95
Operation Desert Storm, 70, 78–79, 91–93, 95, 109–10, 113
Operation Torch (1942), 25
Oppenheimer, Robert, 34
Orszag, Peter, 209
Ortega, Daniel, 127
Pahlavi, Reza (shah of Iran), 78, 173, 180
Pakistan, 148, 152, 155, 241, 252
Palestine: British forces in, 53
Panetta, Leon, 109, 132, 165, 251
Patton, George, 33
Paulson, Hank, 176
Pearl Harbor, 21, 22, 29, 93, 100
Pelosi, Nancy, 116
Pentagon
September 11 bombing of, 100, 105, 119
See also Defense Department, U.S.
perestroika, 85
Pershing III intermediate-range ballistic missile, 251
Petraeus, David, 117, 151
Philippines: in World War II, 24
Pillsbury, Michael, 223
“pivot to Asia,” 214–15, 220–24, 249
Pointe du Hoc (France), 5, 28, 31
Poland
German invasion of, 11–12, 29
John Paul II’s pilgrimage to, 79–82
missiles and, 126, 197, 198–99, 250
as NATO member, 53
Obama’s comments about, 126
Russia and, 197, 198–99, 204
Solidarity in, 82, 86
Soviet invasion of, 127
U.S. relations with, 199
politics
Afghanistan War and, 149, 151
and ending wars, 153
Obama and, 149, 151, 153
Poroshenko, Petro, 202
Portugal, 52
Potsdam Declaration, 37, 38
Powell, Colin, 97
power grid, U.S., 236, 237, 247
preemption principle, 101
presidents, U.S.
and indispensable nature of American power, 2
and restoring American power, 232–55
See also specific president or topic
private sector: and financing of illicit activities, 176, 245
Putin, Vladimir, 100, 194–95, 196–97, 199–200, 202, 203, 204, 249, 250, 258
Qaddafi, Muammar, 116–17, 163, 254
Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), 213, 234, 235, 250
Quds Force (Iran), 173, 174, 243, 244
RAND Corporation study, 154–55
Rangers, U.S., 28, 31, 97, 103. See also military, U.S.
Rayburn, Sam, 32
readiness requirements, DOD list for, 234
Reagan, Ronald
and appeasement, 171, 258
Berlin and, 72
at Brandenburg Gate, 85–86
British Parliament speech of, 82–83
Carter policies comments by, 79
as Cold War leader, 88
communism comments of, 43
D-Day speech of, 6, 31
defense spending and, 83, 84
détente policy and, 72, 82
and elections of 1980, 79
Gorbachev and, 84–85, 193, 218
and Hitler’s attack on Great Britain, 17
INF Treaty and, 85, 201–2, 218
and Iranian hostages, 79
missiles and, 83–85
National Association of Evangelicals speech of, 83
as negotiator, 253
and nuclear weapons, 56, 85
as presidential role model, 232
religion and, 83
and safeguarding American history, 5
Soviet Union and, 72, 82–86, 218
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) and, 83–85, 253
and strength of defense of U.S., 207, 226
and U.S. as “last best hope of earth,” 258, 259
red line, Obama’s: for Syria, 164–65, 186, 202, 242
Regional Defense Strategy (U.S. Defense Department), 94–95, 248
regional threats, and restoring American power, 242–43, 248
religion
communism and, 79–82
Reagan’s comments about, 83
Republic of Fear (Makiya), 110
Reston, James “Scotty,” 63–64
Revel, Jean François, 3
Reville, John, 28
Reykjavik, Iceland: Gorbachev-Reagan summit in, 85, 193
Rhodes, Benjamin, 159, 188
Rice, Condoleezza, 177
Rice, Susan, 156, 157, 159, 183
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: bombing of National Guard building in, 96, 98
Robb-Silberman Commission, 114
Roberts, Andrew, 2, 22, 40, 51
Rockefeller, Jay, 115–16
Romney, Mitt, 146
Roosevelt, Franklin
“Arsenal of Democracy” comment of, 2, 10, 19, 258
Churchill’s letter to, 17–18
Churchill’s meeting with, 22
and D-Day, 29, 40
death of, 32, 33
fireside chats of, 9–10
as great political thinker, 4