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Bush released a
Congressionally-mandated report stating that the U.S. must
maintain its military superiority status and utilize preemptive
first strikes as a tool
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WASHINGTON,
September 21 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A Presidential
security strategy released Friday, September 20, 2002, concluded that
the United States must counter all threats to its position as the
world's dominant military power, as the U.S. administration pressed
for tough action against Iraq.
The
strategy singled out terrorism and the need to underpin the United
States' military might as the number one priorities in its world
strategy, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"We
must be prepared to stop rogue states and their terrorist clients
before they are able to threaten or use weapons of mass destruction
against the United States, and our allies and friends," said the
report released by the White House.
"The
greater the threat, the greater is the risk for inaction, and the more
compelling the case for taking anticipatory action to defend
ourselves, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and the place of
the enemy's attack.
"To
forestall or prevent such hostile acts by our adversaries, the United
States will, if necessary, act preemptively," said the report.
Threats
to take pre-emptive action against Iraq sparked an intense
international controversy over President George W. Bush's warnings
that he is ready to use force to oust President Saddam Hussein without
United Nations backing.
While
trying to focus on removing Saddam, Bush ignores the number of human
casualties expected to be inflicted on the Iraqi side, as well as
chaos and instability widely expected to hit the entire Middle East,
according to observers and analysts.
Bush
on Thursday, September 19, asked Congress to authorize the use of
force if necessary.
Commenting
on the strategy, Secretary of State Colin Powell said U.S. Presidents
had always had the option of "pre-emption" but that it was
more important because of the many non-state threats "who are not
containable".
He
told reporters "I think it has always been part of the tool kit
available to the President, but I think it is a little more important
now, a little more visible and rises in significance with respect to
the tools available to us."
"The
National Security Strategy of the United States" is usually
produced annually by the White House, however, this is the first such
report to come from the Bush administration. The last report was
produced in 1999 under President Bill Clinton's administration.
The
report reinforced many of the policies adopted by Bush since he took
office in January last year, particularly since the September 11
attacks on New York and Washington.
It
said the U.S. military must remain the most powerful in the world.
"Our
forces will be strong enough to dissuade potential adversaries from
pursuing a military build-up in hopes of surpassing, or equaling the
power of the United States," the text underlined.
The
33-page report also includes chapters on the need to promote global
free trade and for the United States to defend freedom of expression
and human rights. It said strong world trade would strengthen U.S.
security.
"For
most of the 20th century, the world was divided by a great struggle
over ideas: destructive totalitarian visions versus freedom and
equality.
"That
great struggle is over," declared the report. "The militant
visions of class, nation and race which promised utopia and delivered
misery have been defeated and discredited."
However,
it added that "decades of massive development assistance have
failed to spur economic growth in the poorest countries" and that
the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund must help in the
growth-boosting effort.
The
document named the 15-nation European Union and Canada as the main
U.S. allies and said no international progress could be made without
them.
It
said the EU was the main "partner" in efforts to liberalize
world trade.
