Lecture 13:
American Unilateralism &
the Bush Doctrinesssssss
5th March 2003 (Wednesday)
Session T1 this week:
Room 2303
Revision:
Unilateralism and Multilateralism

Multilateralism
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A state idea to push for proliferation of different
powers of the world, together with the roughly equal
importance of the multi-poles
e.g. Anti-Terror Coalition
Unilateralism


A state idea to push for dominance of one power of
the world, as well as its ability to act against other
states
e.g. The Bush Doctrine
Structure of Lecture 13:

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American Unilateralism Before 911
Bush Doctrine: Basic (Sept 2001)
American Unilateralism after 911
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Bush Doctrine: Turbo (June 2002)
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Formation of the Axis of Evil
The Pre-emptive Doctrine
Conclusion: Reassessing the Iraqi Crisis
PART I
American Unilateralism
Before 911
2000: The Greatest Division of
American Foreign Policy



Bill Clinton: The Policy of
Reconciliation
Presidential Election of 2000:
the greatest policy change of
America by a presidential election
since Franklin Roosevelt (1932)
George W bush before 911: A
Representative of



Simple and Naïve Cowboys
Arrogant but Afraid-to-die Eagles
Model of Bush: the Second
Reagan Administration (1985-8)
Bush’s “Cow-boyism” Before 911

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Rejection of Anti-Ballistic
Missile Treaty (for the
National Missile Defense
System, NMDS/ Star War
II)
Opposition to United
Nations’ Strengthening of
Biological and Toxin
Weapons Convention
Withdrawal from the
Kyoto Protocol on
Climate Change
…
http://unfccc.int/resource/process/components/response/respkp.html
Retreat from Clintonistic
Dialogues

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Declined Palestine’s
Arafat’s Visit;
Increased intimacy
with Israel’s Sharon
Stopped official
contact with North
Korea
Spy Plane Crushing
Incident with China
Theory of Hegemonic Stability

Existence of a “World Hegemony” will
help maintaining the global security and
stability


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Especially if the Hegemony is a “Benign
Hegemony”
e.g. UK before WWI?; USA after WWII?
Political and Economic Concepts


Immanuel Wallerstein: the Modern WorldSystem (1974)
Stephen Krasner: Structural Conflict (1985)
Statement of the Conservatives


“Multipolarity, yes, when there is no alternative.
BUT NOT WHEN THERE IS.
“Not when we have the unique imbalance of
power that we enjoy today—and that has given
the international system a stability and essential
tranquility it had not know for at least a century.”
– Charles Krauthammer,
Conservative Columnist, June 2001
PART II
Bush Doctrine:
The Basic (Sept 2001)
The Good Vs the Evil

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“Those states that harbor
terrorists should be treated in
the same ways as terrorists.”
“You are either with us or with
the terrorists.”
“Everyone must take side.”
– George W Bush, September 20,
2001
VS
Objectives of Bush Doctrine


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Objective: Eradication of Terrorist
Havens
Targets: Afghanistan and its potential
sponsors (Pakistan, KSA, UAE, Russia)
Main Achievements:


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Terrified most nations of the world
Confirmed the American hegemonic status
Legitimized its invasion of Afghanistan
Main Critiques against
the Bush Doctrine

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The “Most Direct Extortion in Modern
History”
 Comparison with Hitler of Nazi
Germany
“Must take side”:
 The Case of Switzerland
Disallowance of International Variance
Still in Compliance to the Rules of
International Order
Bush Doctrine Vs Its Replacement:
The “Sinatra Doctrine”

“Sinatra Doctrine”

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Frank Sinatra: My Way
Soviet Leader Gorbachev
(Gorbachev Doctrine)
Eastern European satellites
should walk “their ways” in terms
of reforms and diplomacy
Seconded by Ronald Reagan
Bush Doctrine:

You can’t walk “your way”!
PART III
American Unilateralism
After 911
Unilateralism in the War

“Self-defense” against
Taliban
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Guantanamo Bay
Scandal


Vs United Nations
Authorization on the War
on Terrorism
refer to Lecture 9
Admission of Totalitarian
Members in the AntiTerror Coalition
(Uzbekistan, Pakistan…)
Unilateralism
Outside the War (I)

North Atlantic TREATY
Organization (NATO)

Backslash of Sponsoring the
Russia Admission into NATO
 Initial Support of Britain & USA
 After 911: realized the
“uselessness” of Russia in the
World Stage
 NATO Membership: “19+1” not
= 20
Unilateralism
Outside the War (II)

Winter Olympic Games at
Salt Lake City (Feb 2002)
 First large-scaled function
hosted in the USA after
911
 Soldiers carried the
American Flag from the
World Trade Center at the
Opening Ceremony
 How about an Afghan
Flag from Kabul Caves?
Formation of the Axis of Evil
(30th January 2002)
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The Only Involuntary Alliance in
Modern History
Historic Origin:
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The Axis (Rome-Berlin-Tokyo, WWII)
The “Evil Empire” (USSR, by Ronald
Reagan)
Criteria to join the Axis of Evil:
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Totalitarianism
Anti-Americanism
Feasible Targets
PR Value!
The Three Evil Members
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Iraq:
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Iran:
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The Saddam Hussein
Secular Dictatorship
The Ayatollah Khamenei
Religious Dictatorship
North Korea:

The Kim Jong-Il
Communist Dictatorship
The Three Outer Members
of the Axis of Evil (6th May 2002)
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Supplementing the
“Careless Mistakes”
Libya:
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Cuba:
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The Gaddafi Terrorist
Dictatorship
The Castro Communist
Dictatorship
Syria:

The Assad Family
Dictatorship
Missing Members?
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China:
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Jiang Zemin’s QuasiCommunist-Nationalist
Dictatorship?
Russia:

Pukin’s Chauvinistic
Dictatorship?
Assigned Readings

Main Text:


Michael Byers: “Terror and the
Future of International Law”
(B&D P.118-127)
Supplementary Text:

Immanuel Wallerstein: “Mr.
Bush’s War on Terrorism –
How Certain is the Outcome?”
(B&D P.95-100).
PART IV
Bush Doctrine:
Turbo (June 2002)
Pre-emptive Doctrine

“Our security will require all
Americans to be forward-looking and
resolute, to be ready for pre-emptive
action when necessary to defend our
liberty and to defend our lives.”
– George W Bush, June 2002
Objectives and Targets

Implications:
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Your registration of “with us/with them” is no longer important
Evidence is no longer important
What matters is whether I say you are “with us” or “with them”
American suspect  Potential danger in the future 
needed to be contained by “Pre-emptive actions” 
Eradication of the Members of the Axis of Evil
Creating a New international order!

American by-pass of United Nations in the Iraqi Crisis
Origins of
“Bush Turbo” (I)
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Classic Chinese War Tactic of Sun-tzu:
Pre-emptivism (先發制人)
Robert Cooper (Advisor of Tony Blair):
Post-Modern State and the World Order
(2000)

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“Rogue States” should be punished preemptively, regardless of the international law
NATO Intervention on the Kosovo Conflict
Origins of “Bush Turbo” (II)
Failure of Deterrence
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Deterrence:
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Cold War Doctrine for the Bipolar World
One superpower deters the attack of another
superpower, by developing sophisticated
weapons
Threats DETERRED by threats of huge
casualties
Pre-emptive Doctrine:


America’s super-power capability failed to
“deter” the Terrorists
Thus, these threats could not be “deterred”
should be “pre-empted”
Typology of States in
Bush Doctrine, Turbo

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Type A: Democratic
States (USA)
Type B: Transitional
States (Third World;
China?)
Type C: Rogue States
(Iraq)  to be preempted!
Type D: Failure States
(Somalia)
PART V
Conclusion –
Reassessing the Iraqi Crisis
The American Logic
to Attack Iraq

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Iraq is a member of the Axis of Evil,
because it is suspected by Bush of
possessing Mass Destructive Weapons
(MDW)
 “Evidence” still debatable
 America is preparing to “pre-empt”
the Iraqi threat
 By using its own MDW against the
Iraqi People
Against the Logic of
Everyday Life?

Against Fundamental Western Legal Principle:
 Suspect without Evidence = Guilty
 Vs Suspect without Evidence = Innocent
 Basic Rule of International Relations
 Basic Rule of Everyday Life

Can Saddam Hussein Have His “Saddam
Doctrine,” His Own Pre-emptivism?
~~The End~~
Thank you for attending