Congress And Nuclear Weapons

Reviewed by Gregory F. Treverton

This careful examination of how Congress reaches decisions on major nuclear systems, including a clutch of specific case studies, comes to a conclusion that is a welcome antidote: "pork"-jobs in one's district-matters, and Congress gives presidents what they ask for, if they are determined; yet substance also counts. Indeed, "what best explains congressional decision making are the personal policy preferences of individual members."