The National Security Strategy of the United States, published on September 17, 2002, states: “that we must ‘dissuade potential adversaries from pursuing a military build-up in hopes of surpassing, or equaling, the power of the United States.’ At the same time, it defends American primacy on moral grounds: ‘In keeping with our heritage and principles, we do not use our strength to press for unilateral advantage. We seek instead to create a balance of power that favors human freedom: conditions in which all nations and all societies can choose for themselves the rewards and challenges of political and economic liberty. By making the world safer, we allow the people of the world to make their own lives better.’ ”
– Lawrence F. Kaplan and William Kristol, The War Over Iraq, Pages 74-75