伊拉克战争与"布什原则"的命运

“911”之后,布什政府看到了利用美国军事力量建立一个世界新秩序和美国永久领先地位的机会。新的“布什原则”倡导一个鲁莽的“先发制人战争”和“政权更替”,以清除独裁政权,传播民主。伊拉克是这一原则的最早试验品。由于对伊拉克现实、国际制度权力结构和美国力量范围的错误百出的先入之见,布什原则彻底失败了,并导致美国权势的明显削弱。实际上,布什原则在伊拉克的运用事与愿违,美国的军事力量陷入了一个四面楚歌、代价昂贵的失败事业中。经历了这一宏大野心的失败,布什政府在剩下的两年任期里不得不面对两难选择:或者收拾残局,重建美国的实力;或者面对进一步衰落的前景。

The Iraqi War and the Fate of the Bush Doctrine

After the events of 9/11 the Bush Administration saw a chance to construct a new world order based on American military power and permanent American supremacy. The new "Bush Doctrine" called for a bold program of "preventative war" and "regime change" to eliminate tyrannical governments and spread democracy. The first application of their new doctrine was Iraq. Because of its deeply flawed assumptions about Iraqi realities, the nature of power in the international system, and the extent of American power, the Bush Doctrine failed miserably, leaving American power significantly diminished. In fact the application of the Bush Doctrine in Iraq has resulted in the exact opposite of the intended outcome. The U.S. military is bogged down in a costly losing effort that leaves the U.S. vulnerable on other fronts.