Changes Kennedy brought to American Foreign Policy
What changes did President John F. Kennedy bring to American Foreign Policy?
John Kennedy believed that it was possible for the United States to simultaneously take offensive in the Cold War, accelerate the arms race, eliminate poverty and racism at home, lower taxes, all without unbalancing the budget and starting inflation. His goals in short, were as boundless as his pledge to “pay any price”.
Kennedy believed that Eisenhower had not been aggressive enough, tended to compromise, and could not stir the nation to great deeds. Eisenhower believed that there could not be a military solution to Cold War problems and that America could not shape the world’s destiny. He accepted limitations on America’s role.
Kennedy did not.
The changes he brought to American Foreign Policy were active and bold. This contrasted Eisenhower’s passive and cautious approach. Kennedy sought to restore the prestige and primacy of the presidency. His recurring theme was “I think it is time for America to start moving again”, and his actions sought to reveal a dynamic militancy. He set to dramatically increase American strength including increasing the defense budget ($40 bil to $56 bil), and arms production (missile launchers, long range bombers, submarines, and ICBMS). This ignited the greatest arms race in the history of mankind.
In hindsight we can now see that the more missiles America built, the less secure the country was.
However, his changes extended far beyond nuclear delivery weapons. Kennedy wanted to increase America’s conventional war capabilities and guerrilla warfare forces. Unlike Eisenhower, he wanted the ability to intervene anywhere; this new strategy was called flexible response.
The Third World provided the key to Kennedy’s new American Frontiers. He wanted to be able to respond to Communist aggression at any level and set out to build a counterinsurgency force that could stamp out revolutions in Third World countries. The force came to be
John Kennedy believed that it was possible for the United States to simultaneously take offensive in the Cold War, accelerate the arms race, eliminate poverty and racism at home, lower taxes, all without unbalancing the budget and starting inflation. His goals in short, were as boundless as his pledge to “pay any price”.
Kennedy believed that Eisenhower had not been aggressive enough, tended to compromise, and could not stir the nation to great deeds. Eisenhower believed that there could not be a military solution to Cold War problems and that America could not shape the world’s destiny. He accepted limitations on America’s role.
Kennedy did not.
The changes he brought to American Foreign Policy were active and bold. This contrasted Eisenhower’s passive and cautious approach. Kennedy sought to restore the prestige and primacy of the presidency. His recurring theme was “I think it is time for America to start moving again”, and his actions sought to reveal a dynamic militancy. He set to dramatically increase American strength including increasing the defense budget ($40 bil to $56 bil), and arms production (missile launchers, long range bombers, submarines, and ICBMS). This ignited the greatest arms race in the history of mankind.
In hindsight we can now see that the more missiles America built, the less secure the country was.
However, his changes extended far beyond nuclear delivery weapons. Kennedy wanted to increase America’s conventional war capabilities and guerrilla warfare forces. Unlike Eisenhower, he wanted the ability to intervene anywhere; this new strategy was called flexible response.
The Third World provided the key to Kennedy’s new American Frontiers. He wanted to be able to respond to Communist aggression at any level and set out to build a counterinsurgency force that could stamp out revolutions in Third World countries. The force came to be