This thesis assesses the changing dynamics of covert action as an instrument of U.S. foreign policy. Four primary variables are researched in the context of the Cold War period and the emerging new world order. These variables include: (1) the broad characteristics of the international environment that guide relations between international actors; (2) the primary U.S. foreign policy objectives as examined through presidential doctrines; (3) the acceptance of interventionism in both domestic and international domains, and; (4) moral considerations in the policymaking process of a democratic ...