Posted: May 23rd, 2013

Policy Termination

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) was a compromise between the Clinton administration and its opponents in Congress and the military. Compromise sometimes yields good policy, but sometimes it produces internally inconsistent and counterproductive policy. Using DADT as an example, what do you see to be the potential strengths and weaknesses of policy borne of compromise? The 18-year process of repealing DADT suggests that policy termination can be a lengthy process. Should policies be inherently difficult to terminate, especially those rooted in public attitudes?