Preventive War Meets Legitimacy: Balancing Power, Threats, and Global Norms in the Bush National Security Strategy (NSS)
Abstract
On a day now commonly referred to as "9/11," terrorists used the element of surprise and the openness of American society to wreak havoc on an unprepared and unsuspecting nation whose way of life from that day forward would be described as the "new normal." To address this new threat, the Bush Administration published a new National Security Strategy (NSS) highlighting the doctrine of "preemption" as its centerpiece. Preemption -- defined as striking first at an adversary about to attack -- is not to be confused with preventive war, which is defined as attacking a potential enemy to prevent an attack by that enemy at a later time. The delicate line as to where these two different but closely related concepts cross is vague and somewhat unclear. And indeed, the new Bush strategy is viewed by many as illegal, illegitimate, and counter-productive to U.S. foreign policy national interest. This review examines the wisdom and legitimacy of the Bush strategy and its impact on the world community. As the world's only superpower, the United States struggles to find a balance between power, global norms, and the threat of global terrorism and rogue states. The paper defines "preemption" and "preventive war"; examines historical precedents for these approaches to warfare, including the Caroline Incident (1837), the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), the Six-Day War (1967), and the attack on the Osirak reactor (1981); describes the new threat of terrorism; and discusses testing the new strategy in Iraq. The research paper concludes by providing recommendations to bring clarity to this much discussed but misunderstood subject.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 18, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA431745
Entities
People
- Bobby L. Smith
Organizations
- United States Army War College