An examination of the employment of early armed action by the Western states

Abstract

This thesis will argue that early armed action (EAA), comprising anticipatory, pre-emptive and preventive attack, is an effective and legitimate part of the Western state's security strategies.'The West' is defined at length in the Conceptual Framework Chapter. Basically, the countries that compose it are the EU states, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. A thorough examination of this complex and multi-faceted subject faces many questions. Their analysis will illuminate how the Western states might correctly employ EAA as a security tool. These questions include: Why has EAA become an important topic? What are the various levels of self-defence contained within EAA and what is the justification for resorting to each? What arguments exist for and against engaging in EAA? What are the historical precedents of EAA and what do they have to teach us about today's security dilemmas? What recent changes have made EAA a necessary and usable option? Why is EAA particularly appropriate and useful for the Western state's security strategies? What threats can be countered with EAA and what is their nature? Conversely, when is EAA not an appropriate option? What do international law and the UN Charter have to say about EAA? How might international law evolve to aid the West in using EAA to counter certain threats? What are the most appropriate ways of using EAA against those threats? Later this chapter previews subsequent chapters that describe how these questions are answered and conclusions.