The Security Council would judge the legitimacy of such action by whether it met the age-old criteria of just war: the seriousness of the threat, the purpose of the response, whether force is a last resort, whether it is used in a proportionate way, and whether there is a reasonable balance of good and bad consequences. In that sense, President Bush won half his argument: preventive force can be justified, but not unilaterally.
安理会将根据长期以来正义战争的标准来判定这种行动是否合法，包括：威胁严重程度、反抗目的，以及除武力外是否别无选择，武力运用是否恰如其分，所导致的结果是否好坏平衡。如此说来，布什总统的论点对错参半，因为先发制人战略是有理可倚的，但不应采取单边行动。布什总统的理论可能适合阿富汗，但对伊拉克就不一定了。