Exceptional (45 page)

Libi, Abu Yahya al-,
158

Libya

China and,
224

closing of U.S. embassy in,
168
,
212

and financing of illicit activities,
176

ISIS in,
168

missiles and,
224

nuclear program in,
116
–17,
254

and restoring American power,
233

and U.S. defense spending,
233

See also
Benghazi, Libya; Qaddafi, Muammar

Life
magazine

and American exceptionalism,
41

and role of U.S. in World War II,
20
,
41

Lilienthal, David,
57

Lincoln, Abraham,
4
,
38
,
226
–27,
257
,
258
,
259

Lindbergh, Charles,
19
–20

Lippmann, Walter,
20

Lithuania,
53
,
87
,
204

Low, Rex,
28

Luxembourg,
11
,
52

MacArthur, Douglas,
55

Madison, James,
4

Makiya, Kanan,
110

Maliki, Nouri al–,
144
,
162
,
166

Manchester, William,
40

Manhattan Project,
33
–34

Mao Zedong,
56

Marines, U.S.,
35
,
36
,
55
,
209
,
211
,
234
–35.
See also
military, U.S.

Marshall, George C.

and American exceptionalism,
41

D-Day and,
28

Eisenhower's letters to/from,
9
,
33

and European Theater,
24

and expansion of Nazi Germany,
11
–12

Morgenthau's meeting with,
13
–14

and need for building and equipping U.S. Army,
13
–16

and Pacific Theater,
23
–24,
36

and safeguarding American history,
5

as secretary of state,
43
–44

and size of American army,
12
–13

Stalin's meeting with,
43
–44

swearing in as Army chief of staff of,
11
,
12

and U.S. as “last best hope of earth,”
258

views about Soviet Union of,
44

Marshall Plan,
5
,
48
–50,
170

Masaryk, Jan,
50

Massive Ordnance Penetrator,
246

Massoud, Ahmed Shah,
102

Mattis, Jim,
233

McCarthy, Andrew,
95
–96

McChrystal, Stanley,
117
,
148
–49

McCullough, David,
35

McFarland, Katrina,
221

McFaul, Michael,
197

McNamara, Robert,
69

Medvedev, Dmitry,
127
,
199
,
200

Middle East

Carter administration and,
78
–79

Iran's influence/role in,
174
,
186
,
187
,
191
,
193
,
204
,
212
,
241
–42,
245
–46

and Nixon's foreign policy strategy,
71

and “pivot to Asia,”
214
–15

and proliferation of nuclear weapons,
194
,
253
,
254

and restoring American power,
239
,
241
–42,
245
–46,
253
,
254

Russia/Soviet Union and,
92
–93,
204

U.S. commitment to,
78
–79

U.S. Regional Defense Strategy for,
94
–95

U.S. retreat from,
187
,
211
,
241
,
258

See also specific person or nation

Midway, Battle of,
5
,
26

Mihdhar, Khalid al,
105

military, Chinese,
221
,
224

military-industrial complex: Eisenhower and,
61
–62

military, U.S.

benefits of strength of,
207
–8,
212
–13

and China,
221
,
247

during Cold War,
94
,
124

diplomacy and,
254
–55

force structure and size of,
213
–14,
215
,
234

Kennedy's views about,
227

NATO and,
249

and Nazi expansion in Europe,
12

Obama and,
3
,
124
,
204
,
208
–11,
213
–14,
226
,
234

as option in Iran-U.S. relations,
189
,
192
,
193
,
246

as option in Russia-U.S. relations,
203
,
249
–50

reductions in,
3
,
204
,
208
–20,
226
,
233
,
234
–35

and regional threats to U.S.,
242
–43

and restoring American power,
232
–33,
234
–35,
238
,
242
–43,
246
,
247
,
249
–50,
254
–55

role in U.S. of,
62

and safeguarding American history,
5

technology and,
215
–16,
247

terrorism and,
238

and “two-war” strategy,
213
–14,
234

and Ukraine,
250

and U.S. role as world power,
232

See also
defense spending, U.S.; Joint Chiefs of Staff; Special Operations, U.S.;
specific person or branch

Millay, Edna St. Vincent,
20
–21

Ministry of Defense, Iran's,
179

missiles

Carter and,
77

and Cold War,
60
,
62
,
65
,
66
–67,
71
–72

Eisenhower and,
62

Kennedy and,
62

New START treaty and,
217
,
251

Obama and,
126
–27,
217
,
236
,
250
,
252

Reagan and,
83
–85

reductions in U.S.,
204
,
236

and restoring American power,
236
,
241
,
251
,
252

SALT and,
71
–72

and SDI,
83
–85

See also
Cuban Missile Crisis;
specific treaty or nation

Mogadishu, Somalia: downing of U.S. helicopters in,
96
–98

Mohammed, Khalid Sheikh,
108
–9

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact,
11

Molotov, Vyacheslav,
43
,
44
,
49

Moniz, Ernest,
188

morals

and differences between Iran and U.S.,
193

and Obama's comment about moral authority,
126

and similarities between Russia and U.S.,
196

Morgenthau, Henry,
13
–14

Morrell, Mike,
157

Mosaddeq, Mohammad,
180

Mousavi, Mir Hossein,
182

Mullen, Mike,
151

Munich Agreement,
11
,
193
–94

Murphy, Robert,
44

Muslim Brotherhood,
241

Mussolini, Benito,
18

mutual assured destruction (MAD),
68

Nagasaki, Japan, bombing of,
5
,
34
,
35
,
36

Napolitano, Janet,
137

Nasr, Vali,
153

National Archives: Obama speech at,
134
–35

National Association of Evangelicals: Reagan speech before,
83

National Counterterrorism Center,
136

National Defense Panel (NDP),
207
–8,
211
,
234
,
235
,
250

National Security Agency (NSA)

authorizations for,
103
–6,
133
,
235
,
240
–41

and intelligence about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction,
99

National Security Council

and Afghanistan War,
147
,
150

Bush (George W.) and,
147

and development of nuclear weapons,
56
–57

and ending wars,
131

and enhanced interrogation methods,
107
,
108
,
133
,
134

Iran and,
183
,
184

Iraq War and,
138

Obama and,
131
,
138

NATO.
See
North Atlantic Treaty Organization

natural gas,
237
,
251

Navy, Chinese,
222

Navy, U.S.,
211
,
222
,
234
–35.
See also
military, U.S.

Nemeth, Miklos,
86
,
88

Netherlands,
13
,
52

neutron bombs,
77
–78

New Economic School (Moscow): Obama speech at,
195
–96,
197

New START Treaty (2010),
200
–201,
217
–18,
251
,
253

New York Stock Exchange,
15

New York Times

and authorizations for NSA,
105

Helsinki Accords story in,
76

and Khrushchev-Kennedy summit,
63
–64

Marshall interview in,
13

Millay poem in,
20
–21

Nimitz, Chester,
26

9/11 Memorial & Museum (New York City),
106

Nitze, Paul,
45
,
56
–57

Nixon, Richard,
60
–61,
69
,
70
–72,
76

Noonan, Peggy,
82

Normandy.
See
D-Day

Normandy American Cemetery,
31
–32

North Africa,
25
,
27
,
39
,
154
.
See also specific nation

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),
5
,
52
–53,
55
,
67
,
126
,
129
,
189
,
197
,
198
,
203
,
204
,
249
–51,
258

North Korea

and American leadership and supremacy,
2

and financing of illicit activities,
176

nuclear program in,
125
–26,
141
,
217
,
220
,
252

Obama and,
125
–26

and restoring American power,
252

See also
Korean War

Northern Alliance,
102
,
103

Northwest Airlines Flight
253
: attempted bombing of,
136
–37

Norway,
52

Novak, Robert,
76
–77

NPT.
See
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

NSC-68,
57
–59

nuclear agreement, U.S.-Iran (2015)

and destabilizing activities of Iran,
174

and disclosures about Iranian nuclear activity,
188
–89,
244

and growth of Iran's nuclear program,
204

and inspections/verification,
188
,
191
,
244

and Iran's missile program,
189
–90,
194

Munich agreement compared with,
193
–94

non-negotiable elements for,
244

Obama Cross Hall speech about,
186
–87

Obama falsehoods concerning,
186
–89

Obama press conference about,
189

Obama's gamble on,
3

and proliferation of nuclear weapons,
187

and restoring American power,
243
–46

“sunset” provision in,
187

and U.S. military option,
189
,
192
,
193

weaknesses in,
186
–94

withdrawal from,
243
–44

nuclear framework agreement, U.S.-Iran (2013),
185

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),
172
,
174
,
185
–86,
203
,
253

nuclear program/weapons

al Qaeda and,
93

and American leadership and supremacy,
2

Bush (George W.) and,
216

Carter and,
77

Cold War and,
56
–59,
66
,
68
,
70
,
216
,
218

detection of,
253
–54

development of,
56
–59

importance of,
220

ISIS and,
168
–69

Kennedy and,
216

“Nuclear Posture Review” and,
218

Obama and,
3
,
125
–26,
208
,
216
–19