Strategies of Containment: A Critical Appraisal of Postwar American National Security Policy In Strategies of Containment, John Lewis Gaddis looks to analyze the United States national security policy since World War II. Gaddis divides the postwar years into five distinct geopolitical codes, which he analyzes in depth. Gaddis' systematic analysis asks the following questions of each geopolitical code: 1. What conception did the administration in question have of American interests in the world? 2. How did it …showed first 75 words of 814 total…

…showed last 75 words of 814 total…e the years of containment as very stable years but infrequently give the policymakers appropriate credit. Gaddis lays out a very systematic and precise analysis of the three decades following WW II and how the national security policy of the United States was formed. Although somewhat bogged down with technical details of the period (though probably necessary for complete understanding) the book presents a very interesting topic from a perspective very few people ever witness.