Bush Pushes First Strike Strategy
No more waiting for terrorists or another country to strike the U.S. first: The Bush administration is serving notice that it will strike first.
The White House Friday released a 38-page document titled "National Security Strategy of the United States" that says the U.S. will shift its military strategy away from the deterrence that characterized the Cold War and toward pre-emptive action against terrorists seeking weapons of mass destruction.
In it, CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller reports, the president argues that the United States must deter and defend against certain threats before they are unleashed. The document states that the greater the threat, the more compelling is the case for taking anticipatory action.
"The United States can no longer solely rely on a reactive posture as we have in the past," Mr. Bush wrote. "We cannot let our enemies strike first."
That means taking action against hostile forces like Iraq, he said, even when multinational groups like the United Nations balk, and is part of the argument Mr. Bush makes in asking Congress to authorize military action against Iraq.
"As a matter of common sense and self-defense, American will act against such emerging threats before they are fully formed," he continued.
"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 preemptively against such terrorists," he added, "to prevent them from doing harm against our people and our country."
Presidents are required by law to submit the document to Congress, but Mr. Bush's doctrine amounted to the official declaration of the death of Cold War strategy that pushed the superpowers to stockpile nuclear weapons as a way of ensuring peace.
Still, he made clear that the military will be broadly reformed in part to ensure that U.S. interests are never again threatened the way they were in the Cold War.
"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," The president wrote.
The document also reinforced President Bush's drive to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein at a time when Congress considers his request to use military force and the White House seeks support from Russia, France and other wary nations as part of a push for U.N. backing.
In the second paragraph of the document, Mr. Bush sought to answer critics of American motivations.
"We do not use our strength to press for unilateral advantage," he wrote. "We seek instead to create a balance of power that favors human freedom."
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon showed the nation a different enemy and forced change on U.S. military strategy. Unlike the Soviet Union, suicidal terrorists cannot be deterred.
"Enemies of the past needed great armies and great industrial capabilities to endanger America," the president wrote. "Now, shadowy networks of individuals can bring great chaos and suffering to our shores for less than it costs to purchase a single tank."
Among the goals, President Bush said, is "supporting moderate and modern government, especially in the Muslim world, to ensure that the conditions and ideologies that promote terrorism do not find fertile ground in any nation."
President Bush also pledged support for an independent and democratic Palestinian state "if Palestinians embrace democracy and the rule of law, confront corruption and firmly reject terror."
Meanwhile, "Israeli settlement activity in the occupied territories must stop," the president said.