The 2002 National Security Strategy of the US (NSS 2002) appeared to have presented
a momentous approach to self-defense. To many, the doctrine of preemptive selfdefense
seemed to challenge the legal and political foundations of the post-World War
II international order. Some saw in the US stated reliance on preemption a direct threat
to the international system embodied in the UN Charter. The prima facie case that the
US position was novel and even dangerous appeared persuasive.
This thesis attempts to assess the exceptionality of NSS 2002 in its formulation and
implications. This question of exceptionality is broadly divided into two sections. The
first section deals with internal exceptionality, in terms of means (the deliberation and
drafting processes) and ends (the US defense posture). The second section deals with
external exceptionality in the broader terms of possible consequences outside the US.
Section One begins by establishing the grounds for looking into the formulation of NSS
2002, and provides the background for that Strategy's mandated precursors. After
exploring how National Security Strategy documents are conceived and framed, Section
One discusses the Strategy as it was published, and examines a sampling of
contemporaneous reactions to its publication. Section Two concentrates on the second
part of the research question, and utilizes a thematic approach ¿ in terms of the use of
force, the international security environment, and international law. Possible
consequences of the proposed US response to contemporary security challenges are
considered in these three key areas.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/4312 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Prince, Troy Jason |
| Contributors | Whitman, Jim R. |
| Publisher | University of Bradford, Department of Peace Studies |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, doctoral, PhD |
| Rights | <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. |
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