As in all things a generalized position concerning America's foreign adventures is hard to defend or support. While I'm not willing to argue in favor of our involvement in the First World War, the Second seemed purposeful and resulted in a favorable way. I can't think of any war since about which the same can be said. Our rebellion against England achieved a result for which we are (or should be) grateful. That result would not have been won without a war. The War of 1812 was brought to us by foreigners and we were obliged to oppose them in defense of our country and ourselves. Our Civil War was a great tragedy but it was not a thing anyone wanted, only a thing that seemed necessary at the time. My grandfather fought with Teddy in the Spanish-American War. All these years later that seems to me more an adventure than a cause, but maybe you had to be there. I can understand and admire a young man's willingness to fight for what he believes. But why he would exhibit an excitement and joy at the prospect has always been outside my ability to understand.
There's an argument, and I find it rather compelling, that absent American entry into WWI, WWII may very well not have happened. Without our assistance, WWI would have fought to a stalemate, the Treaty of Versailles would not have been so punitive and lopsided, and the economic privation and subsequent rise of nationalism in Germany may not have happened at all, or at least not to the level that resulted in WWII.
WWII is often cited as a just war, possibly the last such we fought, but if viewed in this context, it might be seen as "we cleaned up a mess we contributed to."
Such alternate histories are difficult and fraught, since there are so many moving parts and so many "what would have happened next" questions, but I think it fair to look at our war history after that WWI-WWII span and question it vigorously.
Even the response to the Kuwait invasion is, in retrospect, questionable. We rescued a monarchy, and ultimately destabilized that region of the world for the worse.
As in all things a generalized position concerning America's foreign adventures is hard to defend or support. While I'm not willing to argue in favor of our involvement in the First World War, the Second seemed purposeful and resulted in a favorable way. I can't think of any war since about which the same can be said. Our rebellion against England achieved a result for which we are (or should be) grateful. That result would not have been won without a war. The War of 1812 was brought to us by foreigners and we were obliged to oppose them in defense of our country and ourselves. Our Civil War was a great tragedy but it was not a thing anyone wanted, only a thing that seemed necessary at the time. My grandfather fought with Teddy in the Spanish-American War. All these years later that seems to me more an adventure than a cause, but maybe you had to be there. I can understand and admire a young man's willingness to fight for what he believes. But why he would exhibit an excitement and joy at the prospect has always been outside my ability to understand.
There's an argument, and I find it rather compelling, that absent American entry into WWI, WWII may very well not have happened. Without our assistance, WWI would have fought to a stalemate, the Treaty of Versailles would not have been so punitive and lopsided, and the economic privation and subsequent rise of nationalism in Germany may not have happened at all, or at least not to the level that resulted in WWII.
WWII is often cited as a just war, possibly the last such we fought, but if viewed in this context, it might be seen as "we cleaned up a mess we contributed to."
Such alternate histories are difficult and fraught, since there are so many moving parts and so many "what would have happened next" questions, but I think it fair to look at our war history after that WWI-WWII span and question it vigorously.
Even the response to the Kuwait invasion is, in retrospect, questionable. We rescued a monarchy, and ultimately destabilized that region of the world for the worse.