Mearsheimer, who casts doubt on the efficacy of international rules (both formal and informal) in compelling states to abide by them. 91 In this sense, it could be suggested that hard power coercion is required in order to discourage the violation of these international rules. Additionally, military force may be argued to be more effective in countering the transnational nature of the supposed new form of terrorism. The apparent ineffectiveness of international cooperation is overcome through the calls for more unilateral action to be taken. This argument aligns with the opinions of Dick Cheney who remarked that the national security of the U.S. in the face of terrorist attacks was more important than the need for multilateral cooperation on the matter. 92 However, it should be noted that not all operations within the war on terror were unilateral. The war in Afghanistan, for example, began as a result of a multinational military force comprised of troops from both the U.S. and the UK. 93 Moreover, countering terrorist acts with the use of military force has statistically been shown to encourage support within the state. Evidence has shown that the Bush administration’s approval ratings surged to 90 percent in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and his declaration of the ‘war on 91 John J. Mearsheimer, 'The False Promise of International Institutions', International Security , 19.3 (1994), 5–49. Eric Schmitt, Cheney Lashes Out at Critics of Policy on Iraq (The New York Times, 2003), <http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/11/world/cheney-lashes-out-at- critics-of-policy-on-iraq.html> [accessed 26 November 2016]. 93 Griff Witte, Afghanistan War (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016), <https://www.britannica.com/event/Afghanistan-War> [accessed 4 January 2017].
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