Unilateralism

Foreign-policy strategy in which a sovereign state chooses to pursue its international interests and goals strictly on its own and not in concert or consultation with other sovereign states, international organizations, or nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Unilateralism is the easiest of foreign-policy options, as it requires no diplomacy, no need to build consensus, and no prerequisite of multilateral support. At the same time, however, unilateral actions often generate a backlash of international anger and accusations of illegitimacy.

The United States has been a major contributor to multilateral and bilateral efforts (for example, it was a charter member of the United Nations), yet the United States has a long history of unilateral engagement. Post–World War II examples of U.S. unilateralism abroad include the Bay of Pigs invasion (1961), the so-called Secret War in Laos (1960s), the Grenada [Page 746]intervention (1983), and the Panama intervention (1989). The United States' unilateralism is also reflected in its abandonment of the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty, its choice not to ratify the Ottawa Landmine Treaty (1999), and its decision to oust the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq in 2003 despite widespread international opposition.

Supporters of American unilateralism insist that the United States has the legitimate authority to take whatever actions it sees fit in the defense of its own security. They also claim that, as the world's only current superpower, the United States is obligated to promote and protect democratic regimes throughout the world. Critics of U.S. unilateralism fear that, over the long term, the United States will stray from the rules of multilaterally defined international law, weaken the strength of international institutions, favor military action, and generally raise arguments that international rules place too heavy a constraint on the freedom of the United States to act alone to protect its interests.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the administration of President George W. Bush signaled a major foreign-policy shift in stating that the United States has the right to pursue unilateral actions against terrorism when acceptable multilateral alternatives cannot be found. Critics of the so-called Bush Doctrine maintain that the need to obtain international support for military ventures constitutes a critical check on the power of individual nations. The doctrine is indicative of the struggle between the need to maintain multilateral international institutions and the desire of nations to pursue their own interests.