The Bush doctrine and the tactic of preemption: Understanding the concept, criticism, and implications for national policy and international law

This paper examines the concept of preemptive self-defense within the broader concept of national self-defense and its specific application by the United States. The United States developed a National Security Strategy in September of 2002 in response to the attacks by al Qaeda in September 2001. This strategy included the concept of preemptive self-defense. The international community heavily criticized the U.S. invasion of Iraq, accusing the nation of a unilateral use of preemption. The preemptive concept actually played a minor role in U.S. strategy, but the ensuing debate over its use has a greater value of exposing the weakness in international law and the self-defense provisions of the United Nations Charter in the age of extremist violence and weapons of mass destruction.