ABSTRACT

No matter one’s opinion of his political ideology, George W. Bush undoubtedly left his successor an overwhelming legacy of activism on national security issues. Bush confronted a major terrorist attack on U.S. soil, launched the invasion of two Muslim countries, argued for a paradigm shift in the United States’ approach to war, and displayed a stubborn willingness to pursue his foreign policy agenda despite the lack of support from other nations, including many close U.S. allies, and the American people.