LONDON -- The preemptive strike doctrine -- that is, hitting the other party quickly when it looks as though it is going to hit you -- is as old as mankind itself. History is strewed with accounts of daring raids to catch the threatening enemy unprepared, from the wars of Greek mythology to modern times.
But success does require the initiator to choose the right enemy and strike at the right time.
After the 9/11 horror the Western Alliance, lead by the United States, all agreed that the first target must be the Taliban in Afghanistan, a regime which had actually harbored and nurtured violent terrorists. Then it was suddenly decided in Washington that there must be another target as well -- Iraq.