An application of the second parable: the organizing principle of our foreign policy until the collapse of the Soviet Union was the Cold War, and the concern with maintaining a strong strategic posture vis a vis the Soviets throughout the world. We drew a lesson from World War Two which is essentially sound, which is that one should react early to provocative actions by a potential adversary, and with resolve. This not only prevents them from gaining a strategic advantage, but dampens the enthusiasm for further adventures.
For example, in the run up to WWII, the French made a stupid mistake not challenging the remilitarization of the Rhineland. According to William Shirer in his "Berlin Diaries", the Nazis were prepared to turn tale if there were any resistance. Instead, they violated the Versailles Treaty with impunity, became entrenched in a forward deployment, and were emboldened to pursue a more aggressive policy.
The reason we turned against the Sandinistas, after originally providing them with aid, was that they were under the tutelage of the Cubans, and the ultimate sponsorship of the Soviet Union, acting as its proxy by channeling resources to other Marxist insurgencies in the area. Given the instability in the region, the porousness of our southern borders, and the existence of an underground network aiding illegals, we were not about to allow the Soviets to control the region... |
