Bush Doctrine at work

2002

THE "Bush doctrine" is at play. It is the latest and
the most dangerous yet of any American declaration of
its supremacy of the world. Officially labelled as a
national security strategy document, the declaration,
made by US President George W. Bush on Sept. 20, is,
in its bare form, is a notice to the world that it
reserves all options, notably the military one, to
strike at any country or group that it feels threatens
the US. As the overriding element, the notice says
that the US would not allow its military supremacy to
be challenged; what it does not say but what the world
has heard is also clear: the US is free to take
whatever action it finds fit against any country or
group which does not fall in line with American
interests, and the United Nations would have no
relevance in American considerations of who is at
fault, how and why. Indeed, if anyone does not like
it, please feel free to challenge the US.
The doctrine's foundation and objective are one: The
US reserves the right to to take "pre-emptive action"
against any country it deems as hostile and any group
it sees as terrorist and developing weapons of mass
destruction.
We have seen many American doctrines, starting with
the "Manroe doctrine" -- a warning issued by the firth
president of the US, James Monroe, in 1823. It
warned that the European colonial powers that “the
American continents, by the free and independent
condition which they have assumed and maintain, are
henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future
colonisation...." and declared the US as protector
of independent nations in the Americas.
In the 180 years since then, as Peter Beaumont,
foreign affairs editor of London's Sunday Observer
acutely observes, America "has moved from local to
regional and then to global superpower."
"At the end of the American Century, the United States
stands alone as the only superpower," writes Beaumont.
"The country that once challenged those renewing their
imperial ambitions in its orbit is now declaring in
this document the 'manifest destiny' of Americans to
exercise good across the world."
The 35-page doctrine, a document every US president
has to submit every year to Congress, states:
"Given the goals of rogue states and terrorists, the
United States can no longer solely rely on a reactive
posture as we have in the past. ... We cannot let our
enemies strike first... as a matter of common sense
and self-defense, America will act against such
emerging threats before they are fully formed.
The key element of the doctrine is an unequivocal
statement of America's right to act on its own:
"While the United States will constantly strive to
enlist the support of the international community, we
will not hesitate to act alone, if necessary, to
exercise our right of self-defense by acting
pre-emptively against such terrorists to prevent them
from doing harm against our people and our country."
It also rules out American tolerance of any challenge
to the US military superiority. "Our forces will be
strong enough to dissuade potential adversaries from
pursuing a military build-up in hopes of surpassing or
equaling the power of the United States," it says.