Preventive war
From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium
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Preventive war:
A doctrine in which an actor uses military force on an opponent who is not believed to be preparing an attack on the actor using prevention, but whose activities, such as taking control of territory or building weapons of mass destruction pose a long-term threat to the critical interests of the actor. The attack may signal the start of a war, or be a strategic move within an existing war.
