![]() ![]() The war against Saddam Hussein, and the buildup that preceded it, have reinforced the logic of the preemption doctrine by highlighting that rogue states and terrorists frequently do not respond rationally to the prospect of U.S. displays its might and resolve, its adversaries will restrain themselves and accept the pax Americana. ![]() The domino theory presumes the opposite: if the U.S. The policy of preemption presumes that terrorist organizations and rogue states by definition frequently do not engage in logical cost-benefit calculations (and for this reason cannot be deterred by U.S. The domino theory is at odds with the preemption doctrine on the critical question of rationality. The problem with this latest version of the domino theory is that it flatly contradicts the logic of the preemption doctrine, the cornerstone of the Bush administration's post-9/11 strategic policy. ![]() The Bush administration inverted the theory by contending that victory in Iraq would lead the rest of the Middle East to tumble in the United States' political direction. The original Cold War version of the domino theory held that if Vietnam went communist, the entire Asian continent would go Red. It was a kind of domino theory in reverse. While this observation may seem prosaic, the White House predicted that victory in Iraq would convince our adversaries to fall into line, i.e., moderate their ways to avoid becoming the next U.S. Even after the extraordinary U.S.-British military display of last spring, rogue states and terrorists continue to threaten U.S. ![]()
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