The term national security is now universally thought of as relating to foreign policy. But that was not always the case. Indeed, during the Roosevelt administration FDR argued that national security entailed protection from both foreign attacks and physical want. So why and how has this country rejected Roosevelt’s vision in favor of separate and imbalanced foreign policy and welfare states? And what are the implications of that dichotomy going forward?
University of Utah history professor Peter Roady does a deep dive into the topic in an attempt to answer these questions in his new book, “The Contest Over National Security.”