Key International Relations Concepts and the Bush Doctrine

Résumé du livre

The 9/11 attacks brought to the forefront a very different threat to U.S. interests: non-state terrorists and rogue nations with the capacity to inflict massive casualties with little or no warning. The response of the second Bush administration to the new situation was articulated in the September 2002 National Security Strategy. A liberal world-view is central to the U.S. foreign policy position, but the NSS clearly indicates a willingness of the United States to work alone and act preemptively against any threats to its ability to either project or protect its interests around the world. This overarching strategy, termed the Bush Doctrine, is explored in this study. At issue is the ability of the United States to sustain a grand strategy of primacy in the emerging global environment. A number of international relations concepts will test the U.S. position. Will nations buy into U.S. efforts and bandwagon with it, or will they gradually work apart from the United States to seek more global balance? Can containment and deterrence counter contemporary threats, or are more aggressive means required? Finally, can the United States afford to expend money and manpower in the interests of the world while its own primal position declines relative to rising powers?