I don’t think [the Bush adminstration’s preemption strategy] means a repudiation of containment and deterrence. And the Bush strategy statement has been pretty explicit, that you still want to practice those strategies when you’re dealing with states. But the problem is, states are no longer the only problem we face. Non-state actors, gangs, are the problem, as well. And to try to contain someone who is invisible or to try to deter somebody who is prepared to commit suicide doesn’t make much sense. So something more is needed, and that’s been the argument of the administration.
(John Lewis Gaddis on Booknotes [emphasis added]. Read the whole thing. I’ll eventually get to the book.)