1
Professor and Special Assistant to the Head of National and International Engagement, Royal Military College of Canada
2
War Studies Student at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario
Abstract
The global war on terrorism as currently waged is a strategic error. Its stated goals are unrealistic and condemn the United States to a hopeless quest for absolute security. Its strategies are politically, fiscally, and militarily very difficult to sustain and its methods lacks moral justification and contravenes international laws. Containment policy worked with the Soviets for several decades. The Soviet experience holds important lessons for current U.S. foreign policy. 1967 is attestation that first strikes quickly and irrevocably remove diplomatic options off the table. An over-reliance on preemption can lead to the downplaying of diplomacy. Today, the doctrine of preemption has fallen on hard times. Far from demonstrating the principle's effectiveness, the Iraq war and its aftermath have ultimately underscored its limits. Preemptive war is not and cannot be just.
Hassan Yari,H. and Smoguier,L. (2010). The role of warfare in IR: 'Just war' and doctrine of “preemption” as United States Strategy in war on terror. International Studies Journal (ISJ), 7(1), 1-52.
MLA
Hassan Yari,H. , and Smoguier,L. . "The role of warfare in IR: 'Just war' and doctrine of “preemption” as United States Strategy in war on terror", International Studies Journal (ISJ), 7, 1, 2010, 1-52.
HARVARD
Hassan Yari H., Smoguier L. (2010). 'The role of warfare in IR: 'Just war' and doctrine of “preemption” as United States Strategy in war on terror', International Studies Journal (ISJ), 7(1), pp. 1-52.
CHICAGO
H. Hassan Yari and L. Smoguier, "The role of warfare in IR: 'Just war' and doctrine of “preemption” as United States Strategy in war on terror," International Studies Journal (ISJ), 7 1 (2010): 1-52,
VANCOUVER
Hassan Yari H., Smoguier L. The role of warfare in IR: 'Just war' and doctrine of “preemption” as United States Strategy in war on terror. ISJ, 2010; 7(1): 1-52.
