Source: Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 106, No. 1 (Spring, 1991), pp. 57-82; Published by: The Academy of Political Science
One of the highest priorities Ronald Reagan and his foreign policy team had when they came to office in 1981 was to break the United States out of whatt heyc onsideredit s "Vietnamt rauma"a versiont o the use of militaryf orce as an instrumento f foreignp olicy.I t wasn'ts o mucht hat the Reagana dministration wanted to engage in new wars as that it believed in the utility of limited military force as an integral part of a coercive diplomacy strategy for bringing political pressure to bear on America's adversaries
