Two Hundred Years Of Preemption

An overview of the history of preemptive or preventive war begins with a naval assault on Copenhagen carried out by the British in 1807 out of fear that the Danish fleet would fall under Napoleon's control. That offensive, & the British attack on Baltimore during the War of 1812, are compared to the 2001 US invasion of Iraq. Distinctions between "preemption" & preventive war are pointed out. The logic of "Copenhagening" is analyzed in relation to Winston Churchill's decision to dispatch British ships to French ports in North Africa after the Germans conquered Paris in 1940; Joseph Stalin's invasion of Finland in 1939; the British occupation of Iceland ostensibly carried out to prevent German occupation; the American occupation of the Philippines that produced a guerrilla war; & the US attack on Iraq. Other issues discussed include the mixed history of moral acceptance to preemption/preventive war; lessons offered by past experiences; & the difficult choice facing future presidents regarding the wisdom of striking first in order to preempt an attack on American cities. J. Lindroth