George W. Bush

==== War on terror ====
{{Main|War on terror}}
[[File:Major military operations of the War on Terror.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Countries with major military operations throughout the war on terror launched by Bush, including those launched after his presidency]]

In Bush's September 20 speech, he declared that "our war on terror begins with Al Qaeda, but it does not end there."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/ |date=September 20, 2001 |title=Transcript of President Bush's address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday night, September 20, 2001 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |publisher=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/ |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Malkasian|first=Carter|author-link=Carter Malkasian|date=2021|title=The American War in Afghanistan: A History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k8owEAAAQBAJ|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-755077-9|page=56|access-date=July 24, 2023|archive-date=March 12, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312005345/https://books.google.com/books?id=k8owEAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> In his January 29, [[2002 State of the Union Address]], he asserted that an "[[axis of evil]]" consisting of [[North Korea]], [[Iran]], and [[Ba'athist Iraq]] was "arming to threaten the peace of the world" and "pose[d] a grave and growing danger".<ref name="sotu2002">{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html |date=January 29, 2002 |title=President Delivers State of the Union Address |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502151928/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] |archive-date=May 2, 2009 }}</ref> The Bush Administration asserted both a right and the intention to wage [[preemptive war]], or [[preventive war]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/nsc/ |title=National Security Council |publisher=The White House |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090701203207/http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/nsc/ |archive-date=July 1, 2009 }}</ref> This became the basis for the [[Bush Doctrine]] which weakened the unprecedented levels of international and domestic support for the United States which had followed the September 11 attacks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob1.htm |title=President Bush: Job Ratings |publisher=Polling Report |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob1.htm |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref>

Dissent and criticism of Bush's leadership in the War on Terror increased as the war in Iraq continued.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cumings |first1=Bruce |author2=Ervand Abrahamian, Moshe Ma'oz |title=Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran, and Syria |publisher=New Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-59558-038-2 |oclc=62225812 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/inventingaxisofe00bruc }}</ref><ref>Lopez, George E., "Perils of Bush's Pre-emptive War Doctrine", ''[[The Indianapolis Star]]'', October 3, 2003.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/nss5.html |title=Prevent Our Enemies from Threatening Us, Our Allies, and Our Friends with Weapons of Mass Destruction |access-date=April 20, 2010 |archive-date=May 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521184234/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/nss5.html |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] |url-status=live }}</ref> The Iraq war sparked many protests and riots in different parts of the world.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2002-09-28 |title=Protesters stage anti-war rally |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2285861.stm |access-date=2023-10-27 |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027155137/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2285861.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2006, a [[National Intelligence Estimate]] concluded that the Iraq War had become the "[[cause célèbre]] for [[jihad]]ists".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/26/nie.iraq/index.html|title=NIE: Al Qaeda 'Damaged' Becoming More Scattered|last1=Koppel|first1=Andrea|date=September 26, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/26/nie.iraq/index.html|archive-date=February 25, 2008|publisher=CNN|last2=Barrett|first2=Ted}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/23/AR2006092301130.html |title=Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Hurting U.S. Terror Fight |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=September 24, 2006 |first=Karen |last=DeYoung |access-date=August 22, 2017 |archive-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910054726/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/23/AR2006092301130.html |url-status=live }}</ref>