The Road to Iraq: Part 6
In the early 1990's while Dick Cheney was Secretary of Defense and Colin Powell was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a document entitled "Defense Planning Guidance" and dated February 18, 1992 was written for the 1994-99 fiscal years by Paul Wolfowitz, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and his Deputy, I. Lewis Libby. Its contents, never intended for public viewing but subsequently leaked, has become known as the Wolfowitz Doctrine.
Following are the passages relevant to the present situation in Iraq:
Superpower Status
"Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival, either on the territory of the former Soviet Union or elsewhere, that poses a threat on the order of that posed formerly by the Soviet Union. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to general global power."
U.S. Primacy
"The U.S. must show the leadership necessary to establish and protect a new order that holds the promise of convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role or pursue a more aggressive posture to protect their legitimate interests. In non-defense areas, we must account sufficiently for the interests of the advanced industrial nations to discourage them from challenging our leadership or seeking to overturn the established political and economic order. We must maintain the mechanism for deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role."
Unilateralism
"Like the coalition that opposed Iraqi aggression, we should expect future coalitions to be ad hoc assemblies, often not lasting beyond the crisis being confronted, and in many cases carrying only general agreement over the objectives to be accomplished. Nevertheless, the sense that the world order is ultimately backed by the U.S. will be an important stabilizing factor."
Pre-emptive Intervention
"While the U.S. cannot become the world's policeman, by assuming responsibility for righting every wrong, we will retain the preeminent responsibility for addressing selectively those wrongs which threaten not only our interests, but those of our allies or friends, or which could seriously unsettle international relations."
Oil
"In the Middle East and Southwest Asia, our overall objective is to remain the predominant outside power in the region and preserve U.S. and Western access to the region's oil."
To paraphrase:
The United States should be the sole military, political and economic superpower in the community of nations, acting unilaterally and preemptively to create a New World Order, including preservation of access to oil in the Middle East.
Compare, if you will, this to the Statement of Principles of the Project for the New American Century. And, then read the Bush Doctrine as outlined in The National Security Strategy of the United States.
Following are the passages relevant to the present situation in Iraq:
Superpower Status
"Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival, either on the territory of the former Soviet Union or elsewhere, that poses a threat on the order of that posed formerly by the Soviet Union. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to general global power."
U.S. Primacy
"The U.S. must show the leadership necessary to establish and protect a new order that holds the promise of convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role or pursue a more aggressive posture to protect their legitimate interests. In non-defense areas, we must account sufficiently for the interests of the advanced industrial nations to discourage them from challenging our leadership or seeking to overturn the established political and economic order. We must maintain the mechanism for deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role."
Unilateralism
"Like the coalition that opposed Iraqi aggression, we should expect future coalitions to be ad hoc assemblies, often not lasting beyond the crisis being confronted, and in many cases carrying only general agreement over the objectives to be accomplished. Nevertheless, the sense that the world order is ultimately backed by the U.S. will be an important stabilizing factor."
Pre-emptive Intervention
"While the U.S. cannot become the world's policeman, by assuming responsibility for righting every wrong, we will retain the preeminent responsibility for addressing selectively those wrongs which threaten not only our interests, but those of our allies or friends, or which could seriously unsettle international relations."
Oil
"In the Middle East and Southwest Asia, our overall objective is to remain the predominant outside power in the region and preserve U.S. and Western access to the region's oil."
To paraphrase:
The United States should be the sole military, political and economic superpower in the community of nations, acting unilaterally and preemptively to create a New World Order, including preservation of access to oil in the Middle East.
Compare, if you will, this to the Statement of Principles of the Project for the New American Century. And, then read the Bush Doctrine as outlined in The National Security Strategy of the United States.
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