Background
Destler, I. Mac was born on August 21, 1939 in Statesboro, Georgia, United States. Son of Chester McArthur and Katharine (Hardesty) Destler.
( A good deal has been done to improve the safety of Amer...)
A good deal has been done to improve the safety of Americans on their own soil since the attacks of September 11, 2001. Yet there have been numerous setbacks. The Bush administration and Congress wasted at least six months in 2002 due to partisan disagreement over a new budget for homeland security, and as one consequence, resources were slow to reach first responders across the country. Most improvements in homeland security have focused on "refighting the last war" —improving defenses against attacks similar to those the country has already suffered. Not enough has been done to anticipate possible new kinds of terrorist actions. Policymakers have also focused too much attention on the creation of a department of homeland security —rather than identifying and addressing the kinds of threats to which the country remains vulnerable. While the creation of a cabinet-level agency focusing on homeland security may have merit, the authors of this study argue that the department will not, in and of itself, make Americans safer. To the contrary, the complexity of merging so many disparate agencies threatens to distract Congress and the administration from other, more urgent security efforts. This second edition of Protecting the American Homeland urges policymakers to focus on filling key gaps that remain in the current homeland security effort: identifying better protection for private infrastructure; using information technology to share intelligence and more effectively "connect the dots" that could hold hints to possible terrorist tactics; expanding the capacities of the Coast Guard and Customs Service, as well as airline transportation security; dealing with the possible threat of surface-to-air missiles to airliners; and encouraging better coordination among intelligence agencies. While acknowledging the impossibility of preventing every possible type of terrorist violence, the authors recommend a more systematic approach to homeland security that focuses on preventing attacks that can cause large numbers of casualties, massive economic or societal disruption, or severe political harm to the nation.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0815764537/?tag=2022091-20
( The author has provided an epilogue which takes into ac...)
The author has provided an epilogue which takes into account foreign policy developments since 1971. He considers the implications of the appointment of Henry Kissinger as Secretary of State and deals with some of the larger issues raised by the events of the past two years. Originally published in 1974. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691618429/?tag=2022091-20
(In this comprehensive revision of the most influential, w...)
In this comprehensive revision of the most influential, widely read analysis of the US trade policymaking system, Destler addresses how globalization has reshaped trade politics, weakening traditional protectionism but intensifying concern about trade’s societal impacts. Entirely new chapters treat the deepening of partisan divisions and the rise of “trade and . . .” issues (especially labor and the environment). The author concludes with a comprehensive economic and political strategy to cope with globalization and maximize its benefits. The original edition of American Trade Politics won the Gladys Kammerer Award of the American Political Science Association for the best book on US national policy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0881323829/?tag=2022091-20
( The September 11 attacks forcefully brought home the ne...)
The September 11 attacks forcefully brought home the need to better protect the U.S. homeland. But how can this be accomplished most effectively? Here, a team of Brookings scholars offers a four-tier plan to guide and bolster the efforts under way by the Bush administration and Congress. There has been some progress in making our homeland more secure. But the authors are concerned that the Bush administration may focus too narrowly on preventing attacks like those of the recent past and believe a broader and more structured approach to ensuring homeland security is needed. Given the vulnerability of our open society, the authors recommend four clear lines of direction. The first and last have received a good deal of attention from the Bush administration, though not yet enough; for the other two, a great deal remains to be done: Perimeter defense at the border to prevent entry by potential perpetrators and the weapons and hazardous materials they may use Prevention by detecting possible terrorists within the United States and securing dangerous materials they might obtain here Identification and defense of key sites within the county: population centers, critical economic assets and infrastructure, and locations of key political or symbolic importance Consequence management to give those directly involved in responding to an attack that may nevertheless occur the tools necessary to quickly identify and attack and limit its damage Included are specific recommendations on how much more to spend on homeland security, how much of the cost should be borne by the private sector, and how to structure the federal government to make the responsible agencies more efficient in addressing security concerns. Specifically, the authors believe that annual federal spending on homeland security may need to grow to about $45 billion, relative to a 2001 level of less than $20 billion and a Bush administration proposed budget for 2003 of $38 billion. They also discuss what burden state, local, and private-sector actors should bear in the overall national effort. Finally, the authors conclude that rather than creating a homeland security superagency, Tom Ridge, the director of the Office of Homeland Security, should have enhanced authority.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0815706510/?tag=2022091-20
(The fight over NAFTA brought environmentalists into the t...)
The fight over NAFTA brought environmentalists into the trade debate and reinvigorated labour's commitment to trade activism. The resulting conflict has fractured the long-standing, bipartisan, pro-trade coalition in Congress and undercut US leadership to liberalize global trade. "Fast-track" legislation authorizing the president to enter new negotiations has been stymied for five years, due primarily to disagreements over whether and how to address trade's impact on labour and environmental standards. In response, this new study reexamines the trade-political landscape, showing how trade advocates and labour and environmental skeptics differ significantly in both their substantive views and their political and organizational cultures. The authors show how this new challenge differs from that of traditional trade protectionism, likening it instead to the debate a century ago over whether and how to regulate American capitalism for social purposes. The analysis leads to a series of recommendations aimed at constructive compromise and a new political foundation for US trade policy leadership.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0881322695/?tag=2022091-20
( This book analyzes the development of the policies of t...)
This book analyzes the development of the policies of the United States on foreign economic issues and examines the government's management of trade problems.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0815718225/?tag=2022091-20
(In this analysis, the author examines experience with fas...)
In this analysis, the author examines experience with fast-track procedures since their enactment. He argues for changes in the process to curb abuses and to insure that American Congress retains the ability to participate fully in major trade liberalizing initiatives.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0881322520/?tag=2022091-20
( Do American policymakers really know what the American ...)
Do American policymakers really know what the American public wants in U.S. foreign policy? Through extensive interviews with members of the policy community, the authors reveal a pervasive belief —especially in Congress —that, in the wake of the cold war, the public is showing a new isolationism: opposition to foreign aid, hostility to the United Nations, and aversion to contributing U.S. troops to peacekeeping operations. This view of the public has in turn had a significant impact on U.S. foreign policy. However, through a comprehensive review of polling data, as well as focus groups, the authors show that all these beliefs about the public are myths. The public does complain that the United States is playing the role of dominant world leader more than it should, but this does not lead to a desire to withdraw. Instead people prefer to share responsibility with other nations, particularly through the UN. The authors offer explanations of how such a misperception can occur and suggest ways to improve communication between the public and policymakers, including better presentation of polling data and more attention by practitioners to a wider public.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0815717652/?tag=2022091-20
(In January 1993, President Clinton established the Nation...)
In January 1993, President Clinton established the National Economic Council (NEC) to co-ordinate the economic policy-making process with respect to domestic and international economic issues. This book assesses the NEC's record, reviewing its performance across a range of issues.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0881322393/?tag=2022091-20
political scientist foreign policy writer
Destler, I. Mac was born on August 21, 1939 in Statesboro, Georgia, United States. Son of Chester McArthur and Katharine (Hardesty) Destler.
Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude, Harvard University, 1961; Master of Public Administration, Princeton University, 1965; Doctor of Philosophy, Princeton University, 1971.
Peace Corps volunteer University Nigeria, Nsukka, 1961-1963. Assistant Senator Walter Mondale Washington, 1965-1967. Staff associate President's Task Force on Government Organization, 1967.
Analyst, acting coordinator for Asia International Agricultural Development Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1967-1969. International Affairs fellow Council Foreign Relations, 1969-1970. Visiting lecturer Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, 1971-1972.
Research associate Brookings Institute, Washington, 1972-1976, senior fellow, 1976-1977. Senior associate Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1977-1983. Senior fellow Institute International Economics, 1983-1987.
Professor School Public Policy University Maryland, College Park, since 1987, acting dean, 1994-1995, 2009, director Center International and Security Studies, 1991-1999, director Doctor of Philosophy program, 2000—2007, Saul I. Stern professor, since 2006. Director Maryland seminar in the United States foreign policymaking, 1987-1995. Consultant United States Office Management and Budget, 1977, 79, United States Department State, 1976, 93, United States Agency for International Development, Central Asia, 1999-2000.
Visiting professor International University Japan (Urasa), 1986. Fellow Peterson Institute International Economics, since 1987.
(In this comprehensive revision of the most influential, w...)
(In January 1993, President Clinton established the Nation...)
( This book analyzes the development of the policies of t...)
( This book analyzes the development of the policies of t...)
(The fight over NAFTA brought environmentalists into the t...)
( A good deal has been done to improve the safety of Amer...)
( The author has provided an epilogue which takes into ac...)
(In this analysis, the author examines experience with fas...)
( The September 11 attacks forcefully brought home the ne...)
( Do American policymakers really know what the American ...)
(Book by Destler, I. M.)
Member Council Foreign Relations, American Political Science Association, National Academy Public Adminstrn, Association Public Policy Analysis and Management, Phi Beta Kappa.
Married Harriett Kirkham Parsons, July 27, 1968. Children: Mark Dodson, Katharine Elizabeth.