Page 250 - A Call for a Turkish-Islamic Union

A CALL FOR A TURKISH-ISLAMIC UNION

How Can America Help Achieve
How Can America Help Achieve
Global Peace?
Global Peace?
In the aftermath of 9/11, the Bush administration an-
nounced a new national security and foreign policy strategy. One
week after the terrorist attacks, President Bush revealed the

framework of this strategy in his speech to the nation. Known as
the "Bush Doctrine," it proclaimed, in effect, that America would
engage in preemptive strikes in order to defend itself. While such
attacks may sometimes be justifiable, in actuality it meant the be-
ginning of a new era. This strategy was hammered out under the
prevailing psychology in the immediate aftermath of the attacks,

drawing heavily on President Bush's patriotic feelings. Some
hawkish circles in the country promptly suggested that this new
strategy should target almost all of the Middle East and that the
nation must be prepared to stomach a 20-year war in the region.

Less provocative circles pointed out such an approach's inherent
flaws and asserted that it risked escalating terrorism. Before ex-
amining the potential risks, it is necessary to clarify the meaning
of "preemptive attack."

Paul Wolfowitz, the
former American
Deputy Secretary of
Defense, was one of
the theoreticians of
the "Bush Doctrine"
developed after 9/11.

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