Why did George Kennan’s views of Soviet behavior prove so influential? What is the role of ideas in the formulation of foreign policy? Was the Truman Doctrine a balanced, proportionate response to the crisis that President Truman faced in the 1940s? To what extent did the Cold War proceed from each side’s misperception of the other?

Why did George Kennan’s views of Soviet behavior prove so influential? What is the role of ideas in the formulation of foreign policy? Was the Truman Doctrine a balanced, proportionate response to the crisis that President Truman faced in the 1940s? To what extent did the Cold War proceed from each side’s misperception of the other?