Chris J. Dolan - In War We Trust: The Bush Doctrine and the Pursuit of Just War

IN WAR WE TRUST

Series Editors: Tom Lansford and Patrick Hayden

Since the end of the Cold War, explorations of ethical considerations within global politics and on the development of foreign policy have assumed a growing importance in the fields of politics and international studies. New theories, policies, institutions, and actors are called for to address difficult normative questions arising from the conduct of international affairs in a rapidly changing world. This series provides an exciting new forum for creative research that engages both the theory and practice of contemporary world politics, in light of the challenges and dilemmas of the evolving international order.

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Understanding Human Rights Violations
New Systematic Studies
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International Environmental Justice
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The Bush Doctrine and the Pursuit of Just War

Chris J. Dolan
University of Central Florida, USA

First published 2005 by Ashgate Publishing

Reissued 2018 by Routledge
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Chris J. Dolan 2005

Chris J. Dolan has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

A Library of Congress record exists under LC control number: 2004030882

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ISBN 13: 978-0-815-38969-9 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-351-15576-2 (ebk)

My motivation to research and write this book would not have been possible without the support of several important individuals. Above all, I want to thank my wife Holly for her unending love and support. Holly and I were blessed on 3 November 2004 when our son Braiden was born. I also want to thank our families for their support during the very busy year of 2004. In addition, Ms. Kirstin Howgate was especially helpful in her role of helping to bring this book to completion. The editors of the series in which this book appears, Dr. Tom Lansford and Dr. Patrick Hayden, supplied productive commentary that strengthened the overall presentation. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the outside reviewers who provided valuable insight into key elements of the book.

Among the most consequential decisions for any government involves the decision to use military force. Such decisions tap the moral fabric of society, since violence, death, and suffering are the defining features of war. In general, it is reputed that what is meant by morality is a notion of an acceptable code of ethical conduct in international politics, of a national belief in a set of criteria for right and wrong behavior in the global setting, and the idea of conforming to a certain standard of uprightness and justice. These suppositions often conflict with the advancement of political interests, which are sometimes placed above moral and ethical concerns. For Americans, the nexus between morality and politics is manifest in the Declaration of Independence, which inscribes "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." But do these words represent the bedrock of America's moral and political vision or its fixation on unethical expansionism?

When terrorists attacked the US on 11 September 2001 (9/11), many believed that President George W. Bush was left with no choice but to use offensive military force against the Al-Qaida terrorist network and the Taliban in Afghanistan in order to obviate future attacks from that country. The news footage of Flights 11 and 175 crashing into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the image of Flight 77 ripping a hole in the Pentagon, and the story of United Airlines Flight 93 scattered throughout a field in western Pennsylvania struck a far-reaching emotional and psychological chord with the world and challenged America's sense of invulnerability. Then, throughout the fall 2001, traces of anthrax were detected all over the country including the offices of the US Senate, resulting in thirteen infections and five deaths. War had been delivered to the US.

By late November 2001, after six weeks of punishing US air attacks and the deployment of special operations forces working in tandem with the Afghani Northern Alliance, the Taliban collapsed and Al-Qaida terrorists were dispersed. The rapid and ongoing military force and the quick fall of enemy strongholds amazed the world. President Bush was beloved by Americans, the US was praised on the world stage, and America's traditional allies rushed to its side to support what many believed was a justifiable and ethical response to prevent additional terrorist attacks. At the moment, it appeared that America had a clear and unique opportunity to forge a new era of international politics, build on its multilateral achievements, and to bring the nations of the world, including it former enemies and emerging challengers, closer to the norms and rules of international law, the principles of which had been constructed by the US and its allies during the Cold War.