American Leadership and the Future of the Bush Doctrine

This book presents an argument in support of the Bush Doctrine-- the set of principles and theories that have guided American foreign policy since 2001 and radically altered the conduct of international relations. It argues that the structure of the Cold War system, forged during the presidency of Harry S. Truman in an era of bipolarity between the United States and the Soviet Union, needed to be replaced to reflect a unipolar world order. The transformational presidency of George W. Bush has sought to actively promote liberal ideals of democracy and freedom in countries which are found to be lacking them. It has also argued that so doing is in the American national interest. Beginning with Iraq, the Bush Administration has sought to remove regimes which threaten American interests, support terrorism, and deny their own people basic liberties. Despite the liberal tone of the democracy promotion agenda, the Bush Administration has encountered difficulties in achieving its goals in the Middle East and elsewhere. This book examines the record thus far and proposes novel ideas to ensure the continuation of the Bush Doctrine in American foreign policy after Bush has left office.