Overview
What is the difference between preventive strike and pre-emptive strike?
What recent conflicts have involved a preventive or pre-emptive strike?
What are the legal differences?
Key Terms
Preventive strike
Preventive strike is military action initiated to prevent an adversary from acquiring a capability for attacking.
Pre-emptive strike
A pre-emptive strike is an attack against an adversary in response to an obvious threat of attack by that party: because preemptive strikes are prompted more by clearly imminent danger than by speculation.