Abstract
When George W. Bush arrived in office as President in 2000, he was determined to limit the role of the United States in foreign affairs, although there was in his electorate a hope for a strong foreign policy. The new administration saw in the failure in Yugoslavia, "Clinton's war" , the proof that for the United States it was better to be involved as little as possible, and to protect their own interests only. But when the high jacked planes hit the towers of the World Trade Center, the United States were de facto in a state of war, and the Bush administration had to review its foreign policy. Indeed, few days after the attacks, the United States declared the "war on terror", which was rapidly concertized by the invasion of Afghanistan and the war in Iraq later, motivated by similar objectives. Looking deeper in the American strategy, one can actually argue that only the style has changed, but that the great principles in American foreign policy stay unchallenged.
