The Doctrine of Pre-emptive Strike: Application and Implications During the Administration of President George W. Bush

Abstract

During the Iraq war, the Bush administration justified its preemptive military strike against Iraq on grounds of national security. The strike, carried out under the administration's National Security Strategy, asserts the right of the USA to take unilateral military action against rogue states and terrorist organizations so as to prevent or mitigate a presumed attack by such nations or organizations against the United States. However, the administration's action has been widely criticized as not being in conformity with international law, customary law, and UN Security Council resolutions. The doctrine's implications are serious as it may encourage other states, such as India, to take unilateral action against their adversaries. The failure of the UN to prevent US aggression against Iraq has also given rise to the suggestion that the UN is redundant in such circumstances, a view seen by US and Indian foreign policy ideologues as a favorable development.

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