I. Kennedy’s International Vision
1. An Ideological Cold War (Peace Corps and new conception of American world mission; US and neutrals; Peace Corps and new conception of American world mission; Africa and search for allies—Ghana, Guinea, South Africa, Portuguese colonies; Rostow and theories of development)
2. Alliance Politics (Gaddis and flexible response; legacy of
II. Crisis Diplomacy
1.
2. Cuban Missile Crisis (background; USSR/PRC rivalry;
3. Effects (transformation Kennedy; reassessment arms race—
III. Kennedy and
1. The Turn toward Israel (difficulties with Iran; DDE legacy: security guarantee, arms procurement, Johnston Plan and water diplomacy, improving relations late 1950s?; JFK: Israel as model?—Kennedy and developmentalism; politics—Democratic coalition; Nasser and Cold War concerns—significance of Yemen intervention and Jordan crisis; decision to sell Hawk missiles; limitations: question of refugees; nonproliferation and tensions over Dimona; Ben Gurion, Eshkol, and inspection)
2. Counterinsurgency (Bay of Pigs and vestiges from DDE years; Southeast Asia as testing ground; intellectual foundations—Taylor, Uncertain Trumpet;
Abraham Ben-Zvi, John Kennedy and the Politics of Arms Sales to
John Lewis Gaddis, Strategies of Containment
David Kaiser, American Tragedy
Fredrik Logevall, Choosing War
Ernest May and Philip Zelikow, eds., The Kennedy Tapes
John Newman, JFK and
Stephen Rabe, “The Most Dangerous Area in the World”