Powell Doctrine

The Powell Doctrine owes its name to the former US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Collin Powell. Drawing upon the 1990-91 Gulf War, Powell created a list of eight questions on whether the US should go to war. These questions included whether all peaceful alternatives had been exhausted and whether the US had a clear exit strategy out of the conflict. Moreover, the Powell Doctrine raises the question of whether the US enjoyed international and domestic support for a military intervention. Only when all questions were to be answered affirmatively should the US go to war.