Skip to content

National Security Strategy 1993

Title: National Security Strategy of the United States

Published: Jan. 1, 1993

Administration: George H. W. Bush

Download: PDF

Summary: As had become by this time the general trend, the 1992 report was delayed by various distractions. While a draft had been prepared by early 1992, the final report was not submitted until 1993, just before the inaugeration of President Bill Clinton. Among the distractions were several summits and, later in the year, the press of the reelection campaign. (Snider, p. 9).

As may be expected for any White House document produced in an election year, the 1993 report focused primarily on the past accomplishments of the administration rather than the future of the national security environment or strategic plans. By the time the document was nearing publication, it had become clear that President Bush was losing the election. The report was therefore used as an attempt to shape the legacy of the 12-year Republican reign and prepare the field for the Clinton administration by setting the standards by which his foreign policy would be judged. (Snider, p. 9).

The 1993 report’s strategic content did not differ significantly from the 1991 report. Both focus on regionally-based “collective engagement” and the employ Cheney and Powell’s four pillars of military defense. The one difference between these reports is the new emphasis on democratic peace and America’s role in securing it.  (Snider, p. 10).