On the same day, 23 September 2003, that President George W. Bush defended his Iraq policy to the General Assembly of the United Nations, Secretary-General Kofi Annan also spoke to the Assembly. Annan reiterated his opposition to the view that states may independently be justified in using military force “preemptively” to avoid the dangers posed by the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) among states and terrorists, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.
This article was archived with permission from Rodopi Press, all rights reserved. Document also available from van der Linden, Harry. “Would the United States Doctrine of Preventive War Be Justified as a United Nations Doctrine?,” in Philosophical Reflections on the ‘War on Terrorism,’ ed. Gail M. Presbey (Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi Press. 2007). Value Inquiry Book Series, volume 188. (http://www.rodopi.nl/senj.asp?BookId=VIBS+188).
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/harry_vanderlinden/18/