Julian Zelizer, a Professor of History and Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School, has authored the new book Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security - From World War II to the War on Terrorism (Basic Books, 2010).

In the book Zelizer refutes the widely-held notion that prior to the administration of George W. Bush, partisanship had no place in national security. Based on original archival documents and findings, the author demonstrates that for the past six decades partisan fighting has in fact shaped American foreign policy - and the issue of national security has always been part of America’s domestic conflicts.
 
Starting with the Cold War, Zelizer examines a number of major U.S. national security issues including President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s management of World War I; the partisanship surrounding the Cuban missile crisis during the Kennedy administration; Ronald Reagan’s fight against Communism; and George W. Bush’s “War on Terror,” and in doing so reveals the complexities of national security politics.
 
In reviewing the book, Frederik Logevall, a Professor of History at Cornell University, and co-author of “America’s Cold War: The Politics of Insecurity” writes “Arsenal of Democracy is a myth-shattering history of the American national security state since 1945. Zelizer sheds important new light on the fiercely debated issues of the postwar era, and amply supports his core argument: in the United States, foreign policy is always a political matter. A marvelously instructive work.”