1. Presentation by Dr. Kevin Lasher
POL 314: U.S. Foreign Policy
Presentation by Dr. Kevin Lasher

2. The George W. Bush Foreign Policy
In the Post-9/11 Era

3. Early Bush Foreign Policy
Inherited Clinton era post-Cold War mid-level problems
Another Governor with little foreign policy experience
Assembled powerful foreign policy team (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, others)
Unclear foreign policy agenda (besides missile defense)

4. Early Bush Foreign Policy
Condoleezza Rice: “Promoting the National Interest” in Foreign Affairs (early 2000)
Seen as blueprint for future Bush foreign policy
Critical of Clinton era’s humanitarian interventions
Classical realist viewpoint

5. Early Bush Foreign Policy
“The reality is that a few big powers can radically affect international peace, stability, and prosperity. These states are capable of disruption on a grand scale, and their fits of anger or acts of beneficence affect hundreds of millions of people. By reason of size, geographic position, economic potential, and military strength, they are capable of influencing American welfare for good or ill. Moreover, that kind of power is usually accompanied by a sense of entitlement to play a decisive role in international politics. Great powers do not just mind their own business.”
Promoting the National Interest

6. Early Bush Foreign Policy
“Foreign policy in a Republican administration… will also proceed from the firm ground of the national interest, not from the interests of an illusory international community.”
Promoting the National Interest

7. Early Bush Foreign Policy
Maintain America’s military capability, including ballistic missile defense
Promote growth and democracy through international free trade system
Renew relationships with allied nations
Focus on great power relations, especially Russia and China
Deal with rogue regimes and hostile powers, including terrorism and WMDs

8. Early Bush Foreign Policy
Bush foreign policy was somewhat unclear in first nine months in office
Lack of clarity not unexpected
Vague realism
What would Bush foreign policy be absent attacks of September 11, 2001?

9. The Events of September 11, 2001

10. Impact of 9/11 Attacks
Vulnerability – first attack on American continent since 1812
Attack on innocent civilians
Deadliest terrorist attack ever (almost 3000 deaths)
Saw images repeatedly

11. Rally Round the Flag Bush approval goes from 51% to 90%
USA has “support” of int’l community

12. Deep Impact on President
Bush saw himself as a war-time President
His destiny to lead the GWOT
Great self-confidence

13. Deep Impact on President
Fundamental change in Bush foreign policy
Shift from unclear foreign policy to hegemonism, preemption, and GWOT

14. “Use of Force Resolution” (House-Senate Joint Resolution 9/14/01
That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.

15. Bush Address to Congress (September 20, 2001)
“Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists, and every government that supports them. Our war on terror begins with al-Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated.”

16. Bush Address to Congress (September 20, 2001)
“By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions -- by abandoning every value except the will to power -- they follow in the path of fascism, Nazism, and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way, to where it ends: in history's unmarked grave of discarded lies.”

17. Bush Address to Congress (September 20, 2001)
“We will direct every resource at our command -- every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war -- to the disruption and to the defeat of the global terror network.”

18. Bush Address to Congress (September 20, 2001)
“And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.”

19. Bush Address to Congress (September 20, 2001)
“This is not, however, just America's fight. And what is at stake is not just America's freedom. This is the world's fight. This is civilization's fight. This is the fight of all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom.”

20. Bush State of the Union (January 2002)
Discusses North Korea, Iran, Iraq
“States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger.”

21. National Security Strategy of 2002 (Sept 2002)
Language about democracy, working with allies, international economic integration, development, cooperation with great powers
Preemptive military action
Unilateral action, when necessary
Hegemony

22. The United States has long maintained the option of preemptive actions to counter a sufficient threat to our national security. The greater the threat, the greater is the risk of inaction -- and the more compelling the case for taking anticipatory action to defend ourselves, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack. To forestall or prevent such hostile acts by our adversaries, the United States will, if necessary, act preemptively.

23. While the United States will constantly strive to enlist the support of the international community, we will not hesitate to act alone, if necessary, to exercise our right of self-defense by acting preemptively against such terrorists, to prevent them from doing harm against our people and our country.

24. The United States must and will maintain the capability to defeat any attempt by an enemy -- whether a state or non-state actor -- to impose its will on the United States, our allies, or our friends.
… Our forces will be strong enough to dissuade potential adversaries from pursuing a military build-up in hopes of surpassing, or equaling, the power of the United States.

25. Bush Doctrine Preemptive/preventative war Unilateralism
Maintain US hegemony
Terrorism and rogue states
Fight terrorism wherever it appears
Focus on Afghanistan and Iraq

26. Bush Doctrine
Much of the Bush Doctrine was NOT a radical change in policy
Bush administration did give much greater emphasis to preemption, unilateralism and hegemony
Got “caught up” with idea of transforming Iraq (and Middle East)

27. Post 9/11 Actions 9/11 Commission Department of Homeland Security
USA Patriot Act
War in Afghanistan/GWOT
Iraq War
Others

28. X

29. War in Afghanistan

30. War in Afghanistan Begins October 2001
10-100,000 US, British, NATO troops cooperate with anti-Taliban “Northern Alliance” (US 100,000 in 11/10)
Al-Qaeda linked with ruling Taliban
Taliban overthrown and al-Qaeda camps destroyed

31. War in Afghanistan Bin Laden escapes to Af-Pak border area
Govt under Hamid Karzai established in 2002 (new President in 2014)
Taliban regroups and returns by 2003
Afghanistan still under renewed Taliban insurgency in 2017

32. War in Afghanistan
Reasonably successful (?) in destroying much of al-Qaeda’s terrorist capability in Afghanistan
Bin Laden is alive until 2011
Taliban (with/without al-Qaeda is on the rise)
US “ignores” Afghanistan due to Iraq war
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33. War with Iraq: Why

34. War with Iraq: Why?
Saddam had WMD “capability,” including possibly nuclear weapons
Saddam had ties to al-Qaeda (and somehow contributed to 9/11)
Overthrow evil dictator, bring democracy to Iraq (and Middle East)
Real test of Bush Doctrine
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35. War with Iraq: Why?
War of choice
(not a war of necessity)

36. Mission Accomplished?
Saddam’s regime collapses three weeks after invasion begins
May 1, 2003 President Bush announces “end of major combat operations”
Iraqi insurgency begins summer of 2003

37. War with Iraq: Outcome No WMDs found
Bush administration admits no ties between Saddam and al-Qaeda
Insurgency, chaos and civil war from
Some “stability” since surge of 2007
Rise of ISIS in Iraq from 2013

38. Iraq War Costs 4488 deaths (4347 since 5/1/03)
$800 billion (estimate); projected long-term costs of $3 trillion
Bush leaves office at 30% approval
US image battered by Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib
Hegemonism discredited?

40. The Legacy of the
Bush Foreign Policy?

41. The End