Preventative War
Should the Bush Doctrine of preventive war be part of
U.S. foreign policy?
After the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush developed a new American security strategy to prevent terrorists and dangerous regimes from developing, acquiring, or using weapons of mass destruction. This new strategy, named the Bush Doctrine, called for the United States to use force against foreign regimes to prevent the growth of a serious threat to the U.S. over time. Critics of the Bush Doctrine say it is not a policy of preemptive war but preventive war. A preemptive war is one against an enemy preparing to strike right away. A preventive war is one against an enemy that will pose a danger in the future.
Lessons
Resources
Articles and Papers
- Truman, Harry S, “Truman Doctrine: Harry S. Truman’s Address Before a Joint Session of Congress” (March 12, 1947), available from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School
- The National Security Strategy of the United States of America (2002), available from the Information Clearinghouse
- “The Bush Doctrine,” FrontPage Magazine (October 7, 2002)
- Knight, Charles, “Essential Elements Missing in the National Security Strategy of 2002,” Defense Strategy Review Page (Cambridge, MA: Commonwealth Institute Project on Defense Alternatives Commentary, November 2002)
Audio Articles
- "Bush Doctrine" National Public Radio (October 21, 2002)
- "Iraq Policy Spurs Criticism of Bush Doctrine" National Public Radio (October 17, 2003)
- "Norman Podhoretz on Defending Pre-Emption" National Public Radio (September 1, 2004)
- "President Bush's National Security Strategy" National Public Radio (September 23, 2002)
- "The Changing Face of Preemptive War" National Public Radio (March 21, 2006)
