For the most part, our interventions have been successful. We broke the stalemate in Europe in World War II, and thus saved many lives. Unfortunately, we could not prevent the punitive severity of the Versailles Treaty, and Wilson did not have the backing for our entry into the League of Nations. In World War II, we did much better, ensuring that the Continent and portions of the East recovered, and firmly tying the vanquished into an anti- Commmunist alliance system that succeeded in containing the Soviets and led to the eventual downfall of the Soviet Regime. Additionally, we made sure that the Holocaust was not completed, and that it was known to the world, and helped to dismantle several empires. (Unfortunately, a case could be made that that was premature).
These are just the most obvious examples of good intervention. Now, it may be that some countries are offended to be virtually our wards, or to have lost their prestige, and it may be that some regimes desire a radical revision in the world order that we are preventing, and therefore there is resentment. But that goes with the territory. I am not sorry that the Arab powers have some resentment because we will not let them drive the Israelis into the sea, or that the Chinese are irritated at our continued support of Taiwan....... |
