The American Wars 

Harry Neuwirth

            Harry Neuwirth is a freelance writer living in Silverton, OR.

The history of mankind is a history of war: selfish, expansionist, cruel war extending back in time to tribal chiefs, forward to kings, queens, and dictators, all of them attempting to expand their territory and extend their reign. It would be reassuring to look back to a nation that attempted to change all that, but we can’t look back very far.

American expansionism followed the example of the Old World as we grew from a set of colonies into a major nation, our behavior was typical of emerging nations: aggressive, relentless, and in the mercantilist tradition of the Old Country. We also shared the shame of the Versailles Treaty following the war to end them all, a treaty virtually assuring a rematch after Germany struggled back onto her feet.

Which she did, igniting World War II twenty years later, joined this time by Japan. A mere twenty years in time but a quantum leap in wisdom and compassion, the victorious allies led by the U.S. instituted a Marshall Plan to restore our defeated enemies to political and economic health. In a great leap forward in human relationships, we nursed   our wartime adversaries back to health.

With that same sense of compassion, but with mixed success, America went to Korea and to Vietnam. Yet that same era found the U.S. staring down the U.S.S.R. diplomatically, bankrupting her economically, averting what might indeed have been the war to end all wars as a byproduct of the “ABCs” of 20th century science: atomic, bacteriological, and chemical weapons.

The ABCs are still with us, standing as the contested focus of an effort by America to undermine a threat in the Middle East that, left unchallenged, would assuredly have put those weapons into the hands of a tyrant who had already shown his total disregard for human life, had already used “C” against his own people. We suspected he already had “A” and “B,” but were proven wrong. That error is now being exploited to resist efforts to bring liberty and stability to the Middle East. Yet history tells us that war is fraught with error, enemies logically concealing resources and tactics from potential opponents. Yes we erred--but on the side of compassion.

Our unique nation, with a history of benevolence toward its erstwhile enemies, has injected a bit of maturity into the historic principles of war--with no expansionist objective. The U.S. has proclaimed its intent to bring political and economic prosperity to an unstable Middle East. Suppose America should abandon her unprecedented efforts, who would take up the task?

History will look back on this era as a major, positive shift in human affairs. Everyone should join in this historic moment with a fervent “yes.” Yes to improve the prospects for peace through liberty lest civilization be severely diminished by devastating terrorism.     *

“Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom.” --John F. Kennedy