Suchergebnisse

Relations between the United States and most other countries, including major U.S. allies, have been severely strained during the past year by divergent opinions about the rules of international law governing the use of armed force. On the one side, the Bush administration has unveiled a new strategic doctrine asserting the right to use force preemptively against any country or terrorist group that could potentially threaten U.S. security. On the other side, most UN members have rejected the Bush doctrine as inconsistent with the traditional view that armed force can only be used when authorized by the Security Council or in self-defense against an armed attack. I will argue that neither the new Bush doctrine nor the strict interpretation of the "jurisprudes" represents good law or good policy. The new strategic environment, marked by suicidal terrorists and the spread of mass destruction weapons, requires a different approach.