The rise of the rogue states doctrine : the Clinton and Bush approach to national security in the post-cold war era

Miles, A

Abstract

This PhD examines the rise of the rogue states doctrine in US foreign policy, which had
its roots in the presidencies of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush
but was most clearly developed in the post-Cold War era by Bill Clinton and George W.
Bush. Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Libya have been consistently classed as
aggressive and destabilising regimes whose pursuit of Weapons of Mass Destruction
and support for terrorism has rendered them on the 'wrong side of history' and a threat
to US national security that has necessitated continued international activism and
engagement on the world stage. The thesis contends that the doctrine's development has
been informed by traditional US foreign policy drivers that pre-date the end of the Cold
War, such as the concept of exceptionalism, and places the rogue states approach within
a wider historical time frame.
Having considered the roots of the rogue states doctrine, the thesis identifies and
examines four episodes of its application in the period 1993-2004. These episodes,
which are split equally between the Clinton and Bush administrations, demonstrate how
hard-line rhetoric and policies that have targeted the regimes in question have failed to
achieve international consensus and have been shaped by domestic considerations, such
as the promotion of national missile defence and lobby group dynamics, rather than
nuanced policy formulation.
Detailed consideration of the US approach to rogue states, and an appreciation of its
centrality to post-Cold War foreign policy, offers scope for both a critique of the
Clinton and Bush strategies and a wider understanding of issues concerning US
international behaviour in the period under consideration. By comparing the policies
followed by the two administrations, the thesis identifies continuity in their approach to
the rogue states that belies the apparent differences in the presidents' world views and
foreign policy prescriptions. Finally, evaluation of the US approach to the states
targeted under the doctrine raises questions about the utility of an approach that has
favoured containment, sanctions, demonising rhetoric and military force for addressing
the threat posed by a disparate set of international regimes.

Citation

Miles, A. The rise of the rogue states doctrine : the Clinton and Bush approach to national security in the post-cold war era. (Thesis). Salford : University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2012
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2010