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His approach is conflictual rather than conciliatory and cooperative. However, as we saw earlier, while anticipatory self-defense is permissible, preventative intervention is not. It is not only unethical it is illegal. Consider the following acerbic and bellicose passage which is typical of such rhetoric: Saddam not only had once possessed WMD, but had used them at home and abroad: To the end, Saddam continued to act as if he possessed weapons of mass destruction; every reputable intelligence service shared our assumption that he still possessed them, an error for which Saddam rather than President Bush was to blame…Saddam also exploited the rampantly corrupt UN oil-for-food program to buy off the French, Russians and Chinese to abet his diabolical plans for developing WMD capability.
Let us address a few issues in order: By stating that it was long overdue, Kaufman takes the invasion from one of just cause to one of retribution, a legally prohibited justification for the use of armed force.
So Saddam was a symbol of defiance, is that any justification for invading a sovereign state? What if the tables were turned, would the U.
Indeed, Saddam may have launched scud missiles into Israel, and may also have used poison gas, but these were past crimes that were never confronted or addressed. He could have been tried before the international criminal court if there had been sufficient evidence. Again Saddam acted as if he had WMD. Is that a justifiable excuse for invasion?
Reputable intelligence agencies are certainly not very reputable if they rely upon assumptions rather than evidence. Finally, accusing the UN, the French whom Kaufman especially denigrates , the Russians, and the Chinese of collusion in aiding and abetting Saddam to obtain WMD is simply too absurd for comment. I do not wish my thrust here to be misinterpreted. Indeed, Saddam was an evil guy, particularly after he failed to tow the Western line of rhetoric, however, his character has nothing to do with the justification of invading a sovereign state.
In this, as with many other points, Kaufman takes great liberties. He holds disdain for France and all it stands for, as well as a particularly special derision for Russia, which would have done McCarthy proud. Kaufman is as virulent concerning the former Soviet Union, as any realist I have ever read, despite his evident disdain for this former. Unfortunately, his rants, while certainly well meant, are unbalanced and this imbalance tends to drastically diminish the importance of the points of fact he does make.
While he still obstinately refused to acknowledge the sheer folly and shortsightedness of the invasion of Iraq, he backed off from his initial assertions that the U. Jul 18, Brian rated it it was ok. Still, the concept of moral democratic realism is flawed. The entire field of international relations looks down on it as a fringe, pseudo-theoretical field and for good reason. This book is still valuable though.
If you want to understand the doctrine behind the Bush administration, however much it may lack in strategy and overcompensate for in normative prescription, this is a book for you. Nov 04, Brannon rated it really liked it.
This is really a fantastic book. Even if you don't agree with the idea of preemptive war, the history covered in this book is quite enjoyable. Of course I enjoy most things that poke fun at the UN. I found the writing to be very articulate. The book does show a lot of praise for Ronald Regan. In fact, if you are looking for an eloquent summary of Regan's good side, this is the book for you.
Kaufmann makes the case for Bush's strategies and actions, offering a reasoned defense. Steph rated it liked it Jan 16, Cliff rated it really liked it Aug 16, Ann rated it really liked it May 18, Ryan Dollar rated it really liked it Jan 17, Daniel rated it liked it May 03, David rated it did not like it Jul 08, Nathaniel rated it it was ok Sep 24, Dan Ziegler rated it liked it Jan 02, Kuldeep rated it it was amazing Mar 02, Lisa marked it as to-read Jul 19, Luke marked it as to-read Aug 25, Rahminmm marked it as to-read Oct 31, Bryan added it Jan 18, Michelle marked it as to-read Mar 19, Joshua Rosenblum marked it as to-read Mar 15, Scott marked it as to-read Apr 15, Kaufman has no angst concerning why America has been targeted by terrorists.
It depends upon the gravity of the danger, the probability of its realization, the availability of alternative means and the prospects for success. It is a key concept of his democratic moral realism, even in a unipolar world with the United States is the only superpower. This concept acknowledges that the United States cannot impose its will throughout the world for intrinsic good or for self-interest because our power is limited and when push comes to shove, it should only be expended in our national interest.
Freeing Tibet, something the United Nations could not stop Red China from taking over, is justly beyond our means and capability. We can at best, hope to keep China from using all its force against the Tibetans.
Prudence require that the United States keep its powder ready, dry, and ample to defeat actual, imminent, or gather dangers to vital interests of the Unites States and its pivotal allies. Kaufman sees moral democratic realism as the best very as well a test case for American moral democratic realism. This defacement will leave the world and us vulnerable to having to relearn the mistakes that Kaufman is warning us about by experiencing WWIII. The United States in the past has always been able to catch up in a late defense of its national interest and security, this time it may not.
In this excellent new book, Kaufman describes the Bush approach to foreign policy as the latest example of what he calls "moral democratic realism," an approach he attributes to FDR, Truman, and Reagan as well. In the recent past, U.
The Bush Doctrine too will fail, if it is not applied with prudence and blessed with a certain amount of good fortune. Ruddin is another reviewer who applauds this book in its entirety.
Kaufman succeeds in his aim to provide both a theoretical and historical source in defense of the Bush Doctrine. All this makes for a memorable voyage. Kaufman in a short Epilogue deals with the Iraq war but it is not the central part of his book. Kaufman, a professor of public policy at Pepperdine University, lays out an overarching foreign- policy approach he calls "moral democratic realism. The "democratic" element lies in the belief that the spread of liberal democracy makes the world a freer, safer and more prosperous place; in contrast, undemocratic regimes represent an existential threat to American values as well as American interests.
Concepts of good and evil are not out of place in world politics.
In Defense of the Bush Doctrine [Robert G. Kaufman] on www.farmersmarketmusic.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The terrorist attacks of September 11, The terrorist attacks of September 11, , shattered the prevalent optimism in the United States that had blossomed during the tranquil and prosperous s, .