Because of his military experience Powell knew which strategies would work and not work. He knew which strategies would benefit the success of a military mission. The outcome of the Vietnam War...Show moreBecause of his military experience Powell knew which strategies would work and not work. He knew which strategies would benefit the success of a military mission. The outcome of the Vietnam War left a big hole in the confidence of the invincibility of the U.S. Colin Powell kept himself busy with the question how it was possible that the U.S lost the Vietnam War. What were the reasons for military defeat, for loss of confidence by the American people and what strategies could have worked to make the war end in a success, or, whether or not the war should have happened in the first place? Powell thought about this throughout his military career, from the end of the Vietnam War until the beginning of the 1990’s. Powell came up with different questions which should be thought over and answered before the U.S could go into another international mission or war. These questions together are better known as the Powell Doctrine. From the end of the Vietnam War until the first part of the 1990s there was the establishment and the rising of the Powell Doctrine as military and political Doctrine. From the second part of the 1990s onwards the Powell Doctrine has come into conflict with a new way of intervening: humanitarian intervention and the fight against terrorism. The position of the Powell Doctrine has come under scrutiny. The Afghanistan and Iraq Wars had America question whether or not there was still a future for the Powell Doctrine. The ups and downs of the Powell Doctrine will be the red threat throughout this thesis. But more interesting has been the fact how Powell himself followed his own doctrine throughout his political career.Show less
