The Wolfowitz Doctrine

 The "Wolfowitz Doctrine" is an informal name for a leaked 1992 Pentagon draft document (Defense Planning Guidance) written at the end of the Cold War. It declared the United States the world's sole superpower and stated that U.S. strategy must prevent the rise of any future global or regional rival. [1, 2]

Core Principles

Global Primacy: Keep the U.S. military strong enough to deter any competitor from even aspiring to regional or global dominance.
Unilateralism: Retain the right to act independently or with minimal allied support when collective security falls short.
Preemption: Use preemptive or preventive military actions to stop potential threats before they materialize into major dangers.
Regional Dominance: Prevent hostile powers or rising industrial competitors from controlling strategically vital areas, such as the Middle East and Eurasia.

Controversy and Legacy

The Leak: When the classified draft leaked to The New York Times in March 1992, its aggressive language on unipolarity sparked immediate political backlash. [1, 2]
Official Revisions: President George H.W. Bush’s administration and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell distanced themselves from the text, softening the final published defense guidelines. [1, 2]
The Bush Doctrine: Many core concepts of preemption, unilateral capability, and opposition to peer competitors resurfaced a decade later, shaping post-9/11 foreign policy and the subsequent Bush Doctrine during the Iraq War. [1, 2, 3]