ABSTRACT
Since he came to office, President George W. Bush has made dealing with the combined threats of proliferation,1 terrorism2 and authoritarian regimes a top priority, one that justifies a systematic rethink of alliances, doctrines, strategies and the traditional rules of American policy.3 It has been argued that the Bush administration’s emphasis on defence and deterrence to deal with proliferation threats has its roots in the Clinton administration. Drawing on the lessons of the Gulf War and the possibility that the US might find itself in conflict with an adversary armed with CBW and short-range missiles, the Clinton Pentagon stepped up efforts to develop theatre missiles defences and announced a doctrine of ‘counterproliferation’, which was primarily intended to protect troops against CBW attack.4
