Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1988

Abstract

This article applies the Allisonian framework to the U.S. Government's response to a private arms control initiative undertaken in 1986 by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental organization. This case lends itself to fruitful analysis for several reasons. First, while it fits the criteria for second-level decisions, it also involves a critical area of international relations-the control of nuclear weapons. Second, the involvement of numerous government agencies in the project presents ample opportunity to examine processes within and among agencies. Third, the reaction of the United States appears, at first blush, to have been ambivalent or inconsistent, for the U.S. Government in turn assisted, impeded, and again assisted the NRDC's effort. This curious response invites the analyst to see to what extent, if any, Models II and III can usefully contribute to understanding why the Government acted as it did.

Publication Citation

21 N.Y.U. J. Int’l L. & Pol. 1 (1988)

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