Bob_Bytchin
Lit Class of '02
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2002
- Posts
- 41,128
By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States should maintain forever its global military superiority and defeat terrorism by "destroying the threat before it reaches our borders," the Bush administration said on Friday in a new strategy document.
The report summarizes a doctrine that has evolved since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and lies behind President Bush ( news - web sites)'s campaign to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ( news - web sites).
The doctrine places fighting terrorism at the center of U.S. security policy and moves away from Cold War policies of deterrence and containment. It seeks to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction and calls for pre-emptive strikes when necessary.
"The gravest danger our nation faces lies at the crossroads of radicalism and technology," the report says. "As a matter of common sense and self-defense, America will act against such emerging threats before they are fully formed."
It vows to defeat terrorists "by identifying and destroying the threat before it reaches our borders."
The report was made under a 1986 law that requires presidents to report on their security strategy to Congress.
The United States will work with allies to smash terrorist networks and punish states which harbor them, but will act alone "when our interests and unique responsibilities require," it says.
Bush said on Thursday the United States will act on its own against Iraq if he fails to get United Nations ( news - web sites) backing.
The report casts the United States as caught up in a battle within the Muslim world. Washington blames the Sept. 11 attacks on the al Qaeda network of Islamic militant Osama bin Laden ( news - web sites), and says extremists have "hijacked" Islam.
"The war on terrorism is not a clash of civilizations. It does, however, reveal the clash inside a civilization, a battle for the future of the Muslim world. This is a struggle of ideas and this is an area where America must excel," it says.
MILITARY SUPERIORITY
The United States will maintain the clear military dominance it has held since the end of the Cold War, the report says. "Our forces will be strong enough to dissuade potential adversaries from pursuing a military buildup in hopes of surpassing, or equaling, the power of the United States," it says.
In particular, it cautions China against a military expansion. "In pursuing advanced military capabilities that can threaten its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region, China is following an outdated path that, in the end, will hamper its own pursuit of national greatness," it says.
Nevertheless, the report portrays Washington's Cold War rivals China and Russia as diminished threats, and said the policies of deterrence and containment that marked the Cold War have less significance in the battle against terrorism.
"Traditional concepts of deterrence will not work against a terrorist enemy whose avowed tactics are wanton destruction and targeting of innocents," the report says. "The overlap between states that sponsor terror and those that pursue WMD (weapons of mass destruction) compel us to action."
A U.S. official said on Friday that while the principles outlined in the strategic review were universal, the case against Iraq was unique and there were no other states now seen as targets for potential military action.
The United States will use its power to encourage "free and open societies on every continent," the report says.
It says the United States will promote democracy and economic openness and champion human dignity. U.S. officials cite these goals in discounting suggestions the Bush strategy describes an overbearing, unilateralist superpower.
"When countries see the values expressed in that document, the way America has helped the world to enjoy more freedom and democracy and prosperity, they'll recognize that America uses its strength for the purpose of pursing peace and spreading opportunity around the world," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer ( news - web sites) said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States should maintain forever its global military superiority and defeat terrorism by "destroying the threat before it reaches our borders," the Bush administration said on Friday in a new strategy document.
The report summarizes a doctrine that has evolved since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and lies behind President Bush ( news - web sites)'s campaign to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ( news - web sites).
The doctrine places fighting terrorism at the center of U.S. security policy and moves away from Cold War policies of deterrence and containment. It seeks to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction and calls for pre-emptive strikes when necessary.
"The gravest danger our nation faces lies at the crossroads of radicalism and technology," the report says. "As a matter of common sense and self-defense, America will act against such emerging threats before they are fully formed."
It vows to defeat terrorists "by identifying and destroying the threat before it reaches our borders."
The report was made under a 1986 law that requires presidents to report on their security strategy to Congress.
The United States will work with allies to smash terrorist networks and punish states which harbor them, but will act alone "when our interests and unique responsibilities require," it says.
Bush said on Thursday the United States will act on its own against Iraq if he fails to get United Nations ( news - web sites) backing.
The report casts the United States as caught up in a battle within the Muslim world. Washington blames the Sept. 11 attacks on the al Qaeda network of Islamic militant Osama bin Laden ( news - web sites), and says extremists have "hijacked" Islam.
"The war on terrorism is not a clash of civilizations. It does, however, reveal the clash inside a civilization, a battle for the future of the Muslim world. This is a struggle of ideas and this is an area where America must excel," it says.
MILITARY SUPERIORITY
The United States will maintain the clear military dominance it has held since the end of the Cold War, the report says. "Our forces will be strong enough to dissuade potential adversaries from pursuing a military buildup in hopes of surpassing, or equaling, the power of the United States," it says.
In particular, it cautions China against a military expansion. "In pursuing advanced military capabilities that can threaten its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region, China is following an outdated path that, in the end, will hamper its own pursuit of national greatness," it says.
Nevertheless, the report portrays Washington's Cold War rivals China and Russia as diminished threats, and said the policies of deterrence and containment that marked the Cold War have less significance in the battle against terrorism.
"Traditional concepts of deterrence will not work against a terrorist enemy whose avowed tactics are wanton destruction and targeting of innocents," the report says. "The overlap between states that sponsor terror and those that pursue WMD (weapons of mass destruction) compel us to action."
A U.S. official said on Friday that while the principles outlined in the strategic review were universal, the case against Iraq was unique and there were no other states now seen as targets for potential military action.
The United States will use its power to encourage "free and open societies on every continent," the report says.
It says the United States will promote democracy and economic openness and champion human dignity. U.S. officials cite these goals in discounting suggestions the Bush strategy describes an overbearing, unilateralist superpower.
"When countries see the values expressed in that document, the way America has helped the world to enjoy more freedom and democracy and prosperity, they'll recognize that America uses its strength for the purpose of pursing peace and spreading opportunity around the world," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer ( news - web sites) said.
