Essay Example on the Impacts of the US National Security Strategy on Sovereignty and Intervention

The 9/11 terrorist attacked the American soil prompted the American government to come up with the National Security Strategy (NSS) document in 2002, which has had an impact on many nations sovereignty and intervention especially in relation to the Iraq war (Wolf, 2002). During the Cold War, containment and deference military strategy were used but this strategy could no longer be applicable in the case of terror attack experienced after the cold war.

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The then US president, Bush, explained that his country could no longer rely on reactive posture, basing it on the enormity of the harm that could be caused by terror attacks as well as the high rate of todays attacks. Following the enactment of the NSS, there occurred a change in the inter-state relations like America becoming allies with her former enemies; China and Russia, so as to fight terrorism (Rehman, 2012). Another change brought about by the NSS report was the creation of hierarchy in the international system with some states being more sovereign than other.

With this report drafted by the US, it implies that states that claim to be peacekeepers and terrorist fighters can freely attack other states at will in the name of curbing terrorism. Iraq has been on the receiving end of the negative impacts of this report. There has been a lot of misinformation that Iraq plans on launching terrorist attacks to various nations including America, and this has lead to pre-emptive attacks to Iraq which have later on been established as mistakes (Rehman, 2012). The same America is the one which had earlier claimed that Iraq was harboring WMD which was seen as a forthcoming threat to the State of America. It becomes hard to amend the losses caused by these attacks as it costs a lot of damage and death of people.

Critiques have been on the front line questioning the American Exceptionalism to the setting of international standards concerning collective security. This act by America means that other nations do not have a say when it comes to international security matters and that international organization like the UN where various nations air their grievances has no say and might end up being wiped off like its predecessor which was known as the League of Nations (Informationclearinghouse.info, 2012). They think that America feels way much better than other small sovereign states as well as feeling as though they are above the International laws.

The NSS report by the US as been seen as a violation of the concept of sovereignty. The pre-emptive war that America suggests of using in curbing terrorism is a forceful method which many states do not approve. This dominance over other states could lead to the demise of the set international laws hence giving some states the freedom and mandate to attack other helpless states for their self-gain (Informationclearinghouse.info, 2012). What America fails to recognize is that the superiority they have assumed since the NSS report formulation is that it might end up altering the world peace that has been in existence since the cold war ended. Ragging attacks to different nations would result in unilateral and lawless force uses hence threatening world peace.

Conclusively, the NSS report is biased and it has denied most of the developing nations freedom and liberty to run their activities as well as managing their security system without the US interfering. America might have formed the NSS with all the good intentions but they should consider revising the report so as to uphold world peace and harmony. America should as well set a good image to other nations by signing in to be member states of international bodies that work towards world peace attainment like the Rome Statute rather than being selfish and coming up with laws and regulations that favor them whole without taking into consideration the stand of other nations.

References

Informationclearinghouse.info. (2012). The National Security Strategy of the United States of America. [Online] Available at: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article2320.htm [Accessed 3 Nov. 2016].

Rehman, F. (2012). Analyzing America's National Security Strategy. [Online] E-International Relations. Available at: http://www.e-ir.info/2012/09/13/analyzing-americas-national-security-strategy/ [Accessed 3 Nov. 2016].

Wolf, P. (2002). National Security Strategy of the United States, 10/11/02. [Online] Ratical.org. Available at: https://ratical.org/ratville/CAH/NSSofUS.html [Accessed 3 Nov. 2016].