No part of it is convincing. If the US acts with greater assurance in foreign policy, that is not necessarily a bad thing, and it does not necessarily mean the recreational invasion of Lower Slobovia. By no stretch of the imagination did the Gulf War establish a precedent for the irresponsible use of power. In fact, it was the best example in a long time of when and how US troops should be committed to combat. As such, it is worth further consideration.
Stated policy is ambiguous.
It says we will defend our vital national interests, but they are defined rather vaguely themselves. For obvious reasons, the policy cannot be totally explicit. That would .tell an aggressor exactly how far he could push us without penalty. On the other hand, it is both possible and useful to explore some broad principles that bear on the decision to employ military force. Unlike Vietnam, the Bay of Pigs, and the Desert One fiasco in Iran, the Persian Gulf War met all the conditions described in the Weinberger Doctrine.