Directed Reading
Although other nation states or transstate actors have no direct role in the formulation of U.S. policy, they nevertheless influence the security process. Indirectly or directly, they lobby the Executive Branch and Congress, often with the aid of surrogates or domestic coalitions, seeking such outcomes as technology transfers, weapons purchases, military or economic aid, or sometimes preventing assistance to a rival.
Topic Objectives
- To understand how other nations and transstate actors influence the U.S. security process.
Questions for Consideration
- The U.S. system of open government often reveals splits on key security issues, which can easily be detected and exploited by outsiders. Does this represent a weakness in our system? How could we do things differently?
- Should other nations be allowed lobbying access to the U.S. national security decision-making process? What are the pros and cons?
Required Readings
* Steven Emerson, The American House of Saud: The Secret Petrodollar Connection (New York: Franklin Watts, 1985), pp. 171-218. (Reprint)
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