There Are Several Principals— Each One Worthy of Research

In: Armed forces & society, Band 34, Heft 3, S. 503-508

Abstract

In defense of the argument made in "Courage in the Service of Virtue," in effect that courageous military advice better serves the republic when it accounts for political competition facing civilian principals, the author answers the complaint that his analysis accorded too much deference to the executive and ignored Congress and the people the real principals of American civil–military relations. The principal–agent model has more than one useful application, and executive authority over the U.S. military is both more fragile and more important for democratic control than the critics imply.