Foreign Policy of George W. Bush

Brief Biography

• July 6, 1946• 43rd President• New Haven, CT• Owns several failed

businesses• Purchases Texas

Rangers• Controversial personal

life

• Yale 1968• Harvard Business School

1975• Beats Ann Richardson in

1994 to become Governor of Texas

• Election of 2000 and 2004

• Some controversy

The 2000 Election

• Al Gore: Democrat, former VP

• George W. Bush: Republican, son of #41

• Ralph Nader: Green

2000 Election Results

Electoral Votes: Bush 271 Gore 266 Nader 0Popular Votes: Bush 47.9% Gore 48.4% Nader 2.7%

So, what’s the deal?

• What makes this election so special?

Does the Electoral College still work?

• What do you think?• What are the

benefits?• What are the

detriments?

2004 Election

• The Candidates:– George W. Bush:

Republican, the incumbent– John Kerry: Democrat, the challenger– Ralph Nader: Green, let’s try again

The Issues

• Moral values• The United vs. the Divider• Jobs• Education• War in Iraq• Homeland security• Taxes

The Results

47.8% 51.2%

Pre 9/11

• Neo Isolationist: revisits earliest foreign policy, America needs to take a step back

• Is isolationism reasonable in the 21st century?• Why/Why not?

Bush Doctrine“The security environment confronting the United States today is radically

different from what we have faced before. Yet the first duty of the United States Government remains what it always has been: to protect the American people and American interests. It is an enduring American principle that this duty obligates the government to anticipate and counter threats, using all elements of national power, before the threats can do grave damage. The greater the threat, the greater is the risk of inaction – and the more compelling the case for taking anticipatory action to defend ourselves, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy’s attack. There are few greater threats than a terrorist attack with WMD. To forestall or prevent such hostile acts by our adversaries, the United States will, if necessary, act preemptively in exercising our inherent right of self-defense. The United States will not resort to force in all cases to preempt emerging threats. Our preference is that nonmilitary actions succeed. And no country should ever use preemption as a pretext for aggression.”

• What does this mean? Talk to a neighbor and decide…..

The 4 prong approachbased on his book

• "Make no distinction between terrorists and the nations that harbor them--and hold both to account."

• "Take the fight to the enemy overseas before they can attack us again here at home."

• "Confront threats before they fully materialize."• "Advance liberty and hope as an alternative to

the enemy's ideology of repression and fear."

Treatment of Prisoners

• All of you are probably aware about the treatment of prisoners of war under the Bush administration.

• Many techniques were used that violated the Geneva Convention.

• Appropriate or not?

Bush and Iraq

• Under Clinton in ’98, the Congress passed the Iraq Liberation act, which called a regime change in Iraq

• President Bush used this in ‘02 as a call to arms against Iraq and their possibility of weapons of mass destruction.

• After 11 years in Iraq, no WMD’s have been found

Overview

• Outside of the more pressing issues, push withdraws the United States (after nearly 30 years) from the anti-ballistic missile treaty.

• The reason given for the withdrawal was that it hindered America’s ability to defend itself in the future.

• Bush also refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol• It is a global agreement for the reductions of Green House

gases. • President Bush felt that it potentially would harm the

American economy to ratify.• He has taken a considerable amount of heat for this.

Bush’s lasting impact

• After 8 years of the Bush administration, what do you think the lasting impact is?

• Lets take a look at the rankings for the Presidents we cover (provided by Rasmussen):– Reagan 9– George HW Bush 16– Bill Clinton 20– George W. Bush 28– Barack Obama Unranked