Preventive war is a war launched in anticipation of a future loss of security or strategic advantage. The label is intended to distinguish it from preemptive war, or anticipatory self-defense. Preventive war is only claimed to prevent a hypothetical attack which might occur in the future; for example, a war launched to prevent an adversary acquiring more powerful weapons. In international law, preventive war has no recognized status as distinct from a war of aggression. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... For other uses, see War (disambiguation). ... Preemptive war (or preemptive attack) is waged in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived imminent offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending (allegedly unavoidable) war. ... Providing a constitution for public international law, the United Nations was conceived during World War II International law is the term commonly used for referring to the system of implicit and explicit agreements that binds together nation-states in adherence to recognized values and standards, differing from other legal systems... In international law, a war of aggression is generally considered to be any war for which the purpose is not to repel an invasion, or respond to an attack on the territory of a sovereign nation. ...

History

World War II (1939-1945)

Both Axis and Allies in the Second World War invaded neutral countries on grounds of prevention. In 1940, Germany occupied Denmark and Norway, arguing that Britain might have used them as launching points for an attack, or prevented supply of strategic materials to Germany.^{[citation needed]} In 1941, the British and Soviets invaded Iran to secure a supply corridor into Russia. The Shah of Iran appealed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt for help, but was rebuffed on the grounds that "movements of conquest by Germany will continue and will extend beyond Europe to Asia, Africa, and even to the Americas, unless they are stopped by military force".^{[verification needed]} Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... One of the worlds longest-lasting monarchies, the Iranian monarchy went through many transformations over the centuries, from the days of Persia to the creation of what is now modern day Iran. ... FDR redirects here. ...

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 was motivated by a need to remove U.S. naval power from the Pacific to allow the Empire of Japan to advance with reduced opposition into the rich Southern Resource Area (the Dutch East Indies, the Malay peninsula, the Philippines, etc). In 1940, American policies and tension toward Japanese military actions and Japanese expansionism in the Far East increased. For example, in May of 1940, the base of the U.S. Pacific Fleet that was stationed on the west coast of the United States was forwarded to an "advanced" position located at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The move was opposed by some Navy officials, including its commander who was in consequence relieved by President Roosevelt.^{[clarify][citation needed]} Even so, the Far East Fleet was not significantly reinforced. Another ineffective plan to reinforce the Pacific was a rather late relocation of fighter planes to bases located on the Pacific islands (e.g., Wake Island, Guam, and the Philippines). For a long time, Japanese leaders, especially leaders of the Imperial Japanese Navy, had known that the large military strength and production capacity of the United States posed a long-term threat to Japan's imperialist desires, especially if hostilities broke out in the Pacific.^{[citation needed]} War games on both sides had long reflected these expectations.^[clarify] Anthem Kimi ga Yo Imperial Reign Capital Tokyo Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1868–1912 Emperor Meiji  - 1912–1926 Emperor Taishō  - 1926–1989 Emperor Shōwa Prime Minister  - 1885-1888, 1892-1896, 1898, 1900-1901 Itō Hirobumi  - 1888-1889 Kuroda Kiyotaka  - 1889-1891 Yamagata Aritomo  - 1906-1908, 1911-1912 Saionji Kinmochi... The military history of Japan is characterised by a long period of feudal wars, followed by domestic stability, and then foreign conquest. ... During the first part of the Shōwa era, Japan, with the Great Depression turned to military totalitarianism, like some occidental countries. ... The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is part of the US Navy. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... This article is about the harbor in Hawaii. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The Far East Fleet was an element of the Royal Navy, formed in the immediate aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, and based in Singapore with the intention of deterring the Japanese from further agression. ... Tuamotu, French Polynesia The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands (the exact number has yet to be precisely determined). ... For Combined Fleet, please see that article. ... During the first part of the Shōwa era, Japan, with the Great Depression turned to military totalitarianism, like some occidental countries. ...

Arab-Israeli War (1967)

A dispute over territorial waters led Egypt to mobilize its military forces against Israel. Israel could not maintain a comparable level of mobilization due to its smaller population, and so decided to strike first. This has been described as a preemptive war, but in the absence of an imminently anticipated armed attack, more closely fits the definition of a preventive war..

Iraq War (2003-present)

The 2003 invasion of Iraq was justified in part as a preventive war, on the grounds that an Iraqi weapons buildup and/or possible alliances with international Islamic terrorist groups that share a common hatred of Western countries might, in the future, threaten international peace and security, and, specifically, Europe and the United States. In support of an attack on Iraq, U.S. President George W. Bush stated in an address to the United Nations on September 12, 2002, that the Iraqi "regime is a grave and gathering danger."^[1]. North Carolina Senator John Edwards said on February 24, 2002, "I think Iraq is the most serious and imminent threat to our country."^[2] This article is about the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( ▶ (help· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... This article is becoming very long. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... UN redirects here. ... This article is about the American attorney and politician. ...

Criticism

Legal scholars generally agree that preventive war is not legally distinct from aggression, "the supreme crime" in international law. Commentators as diverse as Dwight Eisenhower and Noam Chomsky have argued that accepting one preventive war would open the floodgates to all preventive wars, reducing the world to "the law of the jungle". Meanwhile, Western neo-conservatives have controversially argued that preventive war is a useful and necessary tool in an age of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, and that international law favors order and national sovereignty over more important factors such as preventing genocide or liberating oppressed peoples.^{[citation needed]} Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969), American soldier and politician, was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, with the rank of General of the Army. ... Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American linguist, philosopher, political activist, author, and lecturer. ... Neoconservatism describes several distinct political ideologies which are considered new forms of conservatism. ...

See also

• A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm
• Bush Doctrine
• Command responsibility
• Caroline affair
• Dwight D. Eisenhower statements on 'preventative war' in WikiQuote
• Jus ad bellum
• Military science
• UN Charter
• War of aggression
• Legality of the Iraq War

President Bush makes remarks in 2006 during a press conference in the Rose Garden about Irans nuclear ambitions and discusses North Koreas nuclear test. ... Peace Palace in The Hague Command responsibility, sometimes referred to as the Yamashita standard, or the Medina standard is the doctrine of hierarchical accountability in cases of war crimes. ... The Caroline Affair refers to a series of events beginning in 1837 that strained relations between the United States and Canada (and thus Britain). ... Dwight David Eisenhower, born David Dwight Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969), nicknamed Ike, was a five-star General in the United States Army and U.S. politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953–1961). ... A preemptive attack (or preemptive war) is waged in an attempt to repel or defeat an imminent offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending (usually unavoidable) war. ... Jus ad bellum (Latin for Justice of War; see also Just War Theory) are a set of criteria that are consulted before engaging in war, in order to determine whether entering into war is justifiable. ... Military science concerns itself with the study of the diverse technical, psychological, and practical phenomena that encompass the events that make up warfare, especially armed combat. ... The United Nations Charter is the constitution of the United Nations. ... In international law, a war of aggression is generally considered to be any war for which the purpose is not to repel an invasion, or respond to an attack on the territory of a sovereign nation. ... The legality of the Iraq War has been widely debated since the United States, Great Britain, Italy and several other countries launched the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ...

References

External links

• Chomsky: Preventive War 'the Supreme Crime'
• The Myth of Preemptive Self-Defense (ASIL Task Force Paper)
• The Caroline Case : Anticipatory Self-Defence in Contemporary International Law (Miskolc Journal of International Law v.1 (2004) No. 2 pp. 104-120)
• The American Strategy of Preemptive War and International Law