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A few days later Bush told the nation that terrorists were trying to remake the world so that they could impose their beliefs on others. "They hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other." Bush said God is not neutral in this conflict between "freedom and fear, justice and cruelty."

In the war against terrorism, Bush said in his 2002 State of the Union address, "History has called America and our allies to action."

According to former White House speechwriter David Frum, at the time Bush felt betrayed by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who had blatantly lied to Bush when he denied smuggling terrorist weapons on the freighter Karine-A. Bush began to see that the webs of terror had compromised some nations. He called terror-supporting nations an "axis of evil." He enunciated a policy of "extending American compassion throughout the world."

After the relatively quick and dramatic war in Afghanistan, Bush and his advisers worked out their international strategy, which has been outlined in presidential speeches during the past 16 months.

In his 2002 graduation speech at West Point, Bush announced a new policy of pre-emptive attacks against terrorists and "unbalanced dictators." The President declared, "Moral truth is the same in every culture, in every time, and in every place. America will call evil by its name."

Bush proposed that a democratic model based "on nonnegotiable demands of human dignity," including religious tolerance, be adopted by other societies. Yet, he warned, "America cannot impose this vision," so it would reward pro-democracy governments with developmental and educational aid and protection against enemies of freedom.

In September the Bush administration issued the National Security Strategy of the United States. Bush summarized his broad global vision and America's pre-eminent role: "People everywhere want to be able to speak freely; choose who will govern them; worship as they please; educate their children—male and female; own property; and enjoy the benefits of their labor. These values of freedom are right and true for every person, in every society."

The strategy statement addressed a wide spectrum of international concerns, from fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic and religious persecution to promoting economic freedom and democracy. The President emphasized that his national security strategy would include "special efforts to promote freedom of religion and conscience and defend it from encroachment by repressive regimes." This is the first time that a President's national security statement has so explicitly mentioned defending religious liberty. Bush called his strategy "a distinctly American internationalism that reflects the union of our values and our national interests."

In January's State of the Union address and February's speech to the National Religious Broadcasters convention, Bush outlined the key "doctrines" underpinning his foreign policy:

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May 2003, Vol. 47, No. 5