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Preventive Vs Preemptive

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A preemptive attack is an attack that is taken against an imminent threat, which means that a state has a strong belief that the threat, whether it be a terrorist organization or state, is going to attack soon. This attack is not a defensive move undertaken in response to an attack that has already occurred from the enemy, which would be classified as self-defense, but is instead an strike that takes place before the enemy has the opportunity to harm. There is a difference between preemptive and preventative attacks in their definitions that makes them distinct strategies. As previously stated, preemptive attacks are ordered when the attack is imminent, whereas preventative attacks are defined as strikes that are ordered when the threat of an attack is more long term or the possibility of it occurring is farther away in the future. However, both preemptive and preventative attacks are elements of power-based strategy …show more content…

One of these counterarguments is the definition of the word "imminent" and the gray area that accompanies the term. A imminent threat could describe several various scenarios to different world leaders because there is no universal definition describing exactly what an imminent threat is. For example, a world leader may believe that a threat is imminent even if the threat is just verbal and there is no substantial evidence that the threat could realistically followed through with, such as if North Korea promised to invade the United States even though they do not have the wealth, manpower, or materials necessary to do so. However, since they threatened to cross the Pacific Ocean and invade soon, some leaders could see this as a legitimate threat and a justification for a preemptive strike. This then raises the question of what an imminent threat is if there is no true way to prove that the threat is in fact imminent and could cause substantial damage

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