A Dangerous Doctrine: Preventive War (Lawrence Korb / Baltimore Sun)

[struggle4progress]

By LAWRENCE J. KORB and LAURA CONLEY
Special to The Baltimore Sun
The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 28, 2008

... Leading up to the war, Bush called Saddam Hussein a grave threat and a gathering danger but never called him an imminent threat.

This is the foundation of the Bush strategy, which many refer to as a doctrine: A country, without identifying a truly immediate danger and without attaining international consensus for action, may launch an invasion and occupation on claims of self-defense. In a dangerous world, it is a terribly risky strategy, and U.S. policymakers, presidential candidates and the public should have a frank discussion about its implications.

Not only did Bush's policy lead the U.S. into a morass in Iraq, a war that has cost more than 4,000 American lives and drawn our attention and resources from more lethal dangers in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it has created an opportunity for other countries to follow where we have led.

In July, the administration proposed giving Pakistan more than $200 million to upgrade its fleet of F-16s, aircraft more useful in a potential war with India than in counterinsurgency operations. After revelations in August that Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence aided militants in an attack on the Indian embassy in Afghanistan, the prospect of India launching a preventive war has increased. More frightening than recent developments, though, is the prospect that the American example and Bush's preventive war strategy could provide the justification for launching such a war ...

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/sep/28/bz-a-dangerous-doctrine-preventive-war/

[bemildred]

1. Preventive war is just aggression with a euphemism to pretend it isn't.

If you don't want to be the aggressor, you have to wait until the other guy invades or attacks something. This is the difference between Gulf War I and Bush's Iraq War. Saddam had no intention EVER of attacking us, being smart enough to see he would lose, and he posed no threat to us. He was an asshole, but that is not sufficient to declare war on, unless you are a moron like Bush who does not care about the integrity and legitimacy of your government, not having any idea that such things exist in the first place.