US 'empire' and its limits

'Bush doctrine' of preemption may run up against America's historic wariness of foreign entanglements.

Throughout US history - from the 1898 Spanish-American War to Vietnam - nearly every major conflict has produced some domestic political backlash as the public debates the legitimacy and cost of military action.

It's a pattern of democratic dissent that has curbed use of US military power, historians say. And Iraq is no exception. As the death toll among US forces steadily rises and bills for the occupation roll in, support is eroding not only for the scope of involvement, but for the overall US strategy of preemptive war, experts say.

In essence, Americans seem to be asking: "Can we afford the Bush Doctrine?"

"The election in 2004 is going to be a referendum on the empire," says Andrew Bacevich, a professor of international relations at Boston University. Success or failure in Iraq will determine if "the imperial project can remain on course," he predicts, referring to what critics view as the administration's agenda of toppling "rogue" regimes.