Bush Doctrine

Strike before attacked

The Bush Doctrine refers to the foreign policy principles articulated by President George W.

Bush following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Its central tenet is preventive war—the assertion that the United States may strike preemptively against nations or groups that pose potential threats, before those threats fully materialize.

The doctrine also emphasized spreading democracy and acting unilaterally when necessary: The invasion of Iraq was justified under the Bush Doctrine.

Critics argued it violated international norms; supporters saw it as necessary adaptation to terrorism.

war on terror

9/11

2001 terrorist attacks

Al-QaedaIslamist militant organization
TalibanAfghan Islamist movement
AfghanistanCentral Asian landlocked nation

Iraq War · counterterrorism · Patriot Act · Guantanamo Bay · enhanced interrogation · drone strikes · jihadism · insurgency · intelligence gathering · surveillance

unilateralism

coalition of the willing

Voluntary multinational partnership

go-it-aloneAct without others' aid
bilateral agreementsContracts between two nations
international lawRules governing relations between countries

coalition building · international cooperation · self-reliance

neoconservatism

regime change

Replacement of governing power

American exceptionalismBelief U.S. is uniquely virtuous
Pax AmericanaUS-backed international stability
nation-buildingConstructing governmental institutions

Cheney · Rumsfeld · liberation · moral clarity · good vs evil · idealism

preemption

preventive war

Attacking anticipated future threat

preemptive strikeAttack to forestall aggression
imminent threatDanger about to occur
military interventionUse of troops abroad

regime change · deterrence · defense policy · first strike · early intervention

criticism

imperialism

Extending dominion over others

overreachExceed one's capacity
blowbackUnintended negative consequences
quagmireSoft, wet ground

torture · Abu Ghraib · false pretenses · intelligence failure · mission creep · destabilization · civilian casualties · legitimacy crisis · unintended consequences · strategic failure

Categories

foreign policydiplomacy, diplomatic negotiations, sanctions, containment, deterrence
Neoconservatismneocons, interventionism, regime change, preemptive war, Iraq War
diplomacyembassy, ambassador, ambassadors, treaty, treaties
Historic DocumentsDeclaration of Independence, Magna Carta, Constitution, Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact
sovereigntynational sovereignty, statehood, nation, nation-state, state
presidential documentsexecutive orders, proclamations, presidential decrees, memoranda, executive actions

Opposites

military posture

Bush Doctrinecontainment

Preventing hostile expansion

deterrence · mutually assured destruction · proportional response

diplomatic approach

Bush Doctrinemultilateralism

Multi-party international cooperation

diplomatic engagement · soft power · collective security · coalition-building · collective action

international engagement philosophy

Bush Doctrinenon-interventionism

Avoid foreign entanglements doctrine

isolationism · non-interference · America First · retrenchment · anti-imperialism

Family

bushes, bushy, doctrine, bushed, Bush, doctrinaire, bushing, doctrinal, doctrinally

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Mostly American · Abstract · Rated PG