The United States and Global Agenda-Setting on Security- An Assessment of the Impact of the ‘Bush Doctrine’ on the International System 2002 – 2012

Abstract

The international arena where the intercourse between and amongst sovereign states occur accommodates cooperation and competition but most often, it is characterized by conflicts. The ‘zero-sum’ nature of the international system actuates states to always design strategies and policies which ensure that their interests are protected at all times. It has always been that the state(s) with the preponderance of clout always sets the agenda on security hence, the ‘Bush Doctrine’ formally known as “the National Security Strategy of the United States” is therefore nothing other than a foreign policy design of the United States which seeks to sustain American global hegemony by obliterating all obstacles - of which terrorism is topmost. The Bush Doctrine, in order to achieve its set goals, makes use of pre-emption, unilateralism and the so- called extension of “freedom”. The Bush Doctrine was essentially a reaction to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the U.S, and it has since come to incorporate core issues of American foreign policy viz. military primacy, economic dynamos and the “new multilateralism. The question, however, are: has the Bush Doctrine impacted positively or negatively on the contemporary international system? Has it attenuated the phenomena of terrorism or increased its occurrence? This study, therefore with the theoretical lenses of the Hegemony Stability Theory (HST), appraises the impact of the Bush Doctrine on the international sector. The contention is that the Bush Doctrine, rather than reducing the occurrence of terrorism, has incited terror mongers both internationally and domestically; the Doctrine has equally alienated American traditional allies and worsened the international system. Finally, some policy options are recommended for the Third World states that have had to haplessly and helplessly bear the brunt of America’s Bush Doctrine.