Washington's Fading Faith in Deterrence | Ted Galen Carpenter | Cato Institute: Commentary

Washington's Fading Faith in Deterrence | Ted Galen Carpenter | Cato Institute: Commentary: 'Deterrence and containment were the twin pillars of U.S. security policy in the decades after World War II. Containment eventually played out much as the doctrine's principal author, George Kennan, believed that it would, with the transformation or collapse of the Soviet Union. And despite a few perilous moments, especially the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, deterrence also worked.'

'Yet while U.S. leaders seem hyper-confident about the continued relevance of deterrence in Europe — and in East Asia where Washington still provides security guarantees to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and other partners — the opposite attitude has taken place regarding the Muslim world. There, American officials and much of the political and policy elites appear to have little confidence that the principles of deterrence (or containment) have any validity.'