To the Point

Bush-s New First-Strike Security Doctrine

President Bush-s blueprint for national security scraps the long-standing principles of deterrence and containment, which were established in the aftermath of World War II. The President has replaced them with a policy of preemptive action, even before an emerging threat has been fully formed. While supporters say it-s the only way to deal with the dangerous new world of high-technology terror, detractors warn that it could become an excuse for aggression, by other countries as well as the United States. We hear clashing opinions of the Bush doctrine and America-s role in the world from historians and foreign policy experts at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Center for Defense Information and the Council on Foreign Relations. Newsmaker: British Dossier on Iraq Threat Not Conclusive Britain-s Prime Minister Tony Blair has delivered his much-awaited dossier on Saddam Hussein and Iraq-s plans for weapons of mass destruction-chemical, biological and nuclear. Stephen Fidler, who is covering the story for London-s Financial Times, says that while the 50-page document reinforces the need for immediate inspections, it stops short of supporting immediate military intervention. Reporter-s Notebook: Washington, Smallpox and Native Americans In the US, routine smallpox vaccinations ended in 1971, and the disease was declared eradicated in 1980. Now, fearing that the virus may be in the hands of terrorists, the federal government is planning to renew mass vaccinations. Gregg Bourland, Tribal Chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux, explains why the threat of the disease strikes fear in the hearts of Native Americans across US.