Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Bush administration adopted a policy of preemptive war in order to prevent future terrorist attacks. What do you see as the justification for as well as major challenges and controversies that might arise from a national defense strategy of preemptive war?

What will be an ideal response?

Students should discuss the growing threat of international terrorism spreading to the United States and the reaction of Americans once it had arrived on September 11, 2001. The Bush Doctrine said that the United States would consider both those nations that produced terrorists and those that harbored terrorists as one and the same, leading to the idea of preemptive wars, which were designed to be proactive rather than reactive. The War in Afghanistan, which began shortly after the September 11 attacks, was easy to justify because this was where the terrorists who attacked the United States were trained and funded. But operations in Iraq were much more difficult to justify. This leads to the major challenges to such preemptive activities. Iraq was actually worse off after the second Iraqi war, and since the Iraqi military was dissolved, many in the military decided to join with what would become ISIS.
Student answers will vary as to justification and challenges but should, at the very least, discuss the development of problems in Afghanistan and Iraq.