Mismanaging Mayhem

How Washington Responds to Crisis

James Jay Carafano, Richard Weitz, James Jay Carafano, Richard Weitz

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN: 9780313348921
• eBook ISBN: 9780313348938
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

One of the greatest sources of America's troubles in Iraq, Afghanistan, and New Orleans was the inability of our government's many parts to work well together. Often called interagency operations, applying everything that official Washington can do to keep Americans safe, free, and prosperous, is no easy task. The Pentagon, State Department, Homeland Security, Treasury, FBI, CIA, and other agencies have different capabilities, budgets, cultures, operational styles, Congressional oversight committees, and even operate under different laws. Getting them all organized on battlefields, after disasters, and during other times of crisis is often equated with herding cats. The history of getting government agencies to cooperate is replete with stories of courage, heart-breaking tragedy, and blundering incompetence. To meet the dangers of the 21st century, interagency operations will be more important than ever, yet few Americans understand the troubling history of Washington's failures and the pressing needs for reform. One of the greatest sources of America's troubles in Iraq, Afghanistan, and New Orleans was the inability of our government's many parts to work well together. Often called interagency operations, the coordination of everything official Washington can do to keep Americans safe, free, and prosperous, is no easy task. The Pentagon, State Department, Homeland Security, Treasury, FBI, CIA, and other agencies have different capabilities, budgets, cultures, operational styles, Congressional oversight committees, and even operate under different laws. Getting them all organized on battlefields, after disasters, and during other times of crisis is often equated with herding cats. The history of getting government agencies to cooperate is replete with stories of courage, heart-breaking tragedy, and blundering incompetence. To meet the dangers of the 21st century, interagency operations will be more important than ever, yet few Americans understand the troubling history of Washington's failures and the pressing needs for reform. This book is the first comprehensive history and sober analysis of one of the most pressing national security challenges of the century. The goal is to make a serious and unappreciated subject accessible to a wide audience through a series of engaging and informative historical case studies. The case studies span American history from the turn of the 20th century to today. They cover a variety of subjects from dealing with the great flu epidemic of 1918, to responding to natural disasters at home and abroad, to fighting wars and rebuilding countries after war. Each engaging chapter is a single case study written by a distinguished scholar who covers the historical context, the key players, actions, incidents, and, perhaps most important, lessons learned.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Introduction Mismanaging Mayhem: Interagency Operations Past and Future
• Chapter 1 End of Days: Responding to the Great Pandemic of 1918
• Chapter 2 Word Warriors: Information Operations during World War II
• Chapter 3 Marketing Freedom: Cold War, Public Diplomacy, and Psychological Warfare
• Chapter 4 After Disaster: Recovering from the 1964 Alaskan Earthquake
• Chapter 5 Winning Hearts and Minds: The Vietnam Experience
• Chapter 6 Crisis! What Crisis?: America's Response to the Energy Crisis
• Chapter 7 Breaking Ranks—Breaking Rules: The Iran-Contra Scandal
• Chapter 8 Interagency Paralysis: Armed Intervention in Bosnia and Kosovo
• Chapter 9 Fighting in Financial Foxholes: America and the Asian Financial Crisis
• Chapter 10 “Interagency Overseas”: Responding to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
• Chapter 11 In the Wake of the Storm: The National Response to Hurricane Katrina
• Chapter 12 Interagency Problems and Proposals: A Research Review
• Index
• About the Editors and Contributors