Could the United States Turn 2014 into 1914?

by Gerard Emershaw

On July 28, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Empire attacked Serbia with the intent of invading that nation. As a result, Russia—who had signed a treaty to defend Serbia—mobilized its forces against the Austro-Hungarians. In rapid succession due to similar treaties, Germany declared war on Russia and France, and the United Kingdom declared war on Germany. Eventually over 40 countries and their colonies were engulfed in a war that came to be known as “the Great War” and “the war to end all wars.” World War I produced nearly 10 million deaths.

The United States seems to have learned little from the way that World War I began and how dangerous committing oneself to going to war in defense of other nations can be. The United States is committed via treaty to go to war on behalf of the following nations: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela. In addition, the United States would almost certainly go to war in defense of Israel and would likely go to war to defend nations such as Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. In addition, there are those hawks who would like Georgia and Ukraine to join NATO. Although perhaps Russia would not have invaded either of these nations had they been part of NATO, if Georgia and Ukraine had been in NATO and Russia had still invaded these countries as they did, then the United States would have found itself in a state of war against Russia.

The Founders knew how dangerous entanglements in foreign wars could be. Consider the words of George Washington:

The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop. Europe has a set of primary interests which to us have none; or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves by artificial ties in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.

The Founders steered the Republic on a wise non-interventionist path that preserved the freedom of Americans against great odds by steering a path that avoided choosing sides in the violent rivalry between France and Britain. It was this avoidance of involvement in foreign wars that helped the United States grow from an agrarian former British colony to an economic superpower.

Wars are expensive as well as deadly and destructive. The United States has a $17 trillion debt, and thus, it cannot afford to be “policeman of the world.” None of the nations on the list above are so impoverished that they cannot pay for their own defense. The unnecessary entry of the United States into World War I led to a decisive victory for the Allies against the Central Powers. Had the United States not entered the conflict, it is likely that the war would have ended in a stalemate. As a result of the American entry into the war, Russia continued fighting, leading to the Russian Revolution as a result of dissatisfaction within the nation. Thus, global communism and the Cold War were both the result of American entry into the war. Germany was punished in an unfair and draconian manner with reparations, leading eventually to the economic collapse of the Weimar Republic. This gave birth to Nazism and the horrors of the Holocaust and World War II.

Philosopher George Santayana famously said: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The 20^th century taught many lessons about the dangers of collectivism, the inevitable failure of centrally planned economies, and the disaster of interventionist foreign policies. Unless these lessons are well learned by the American people and their elected leaders, then the 21^st century may end up even bloodier than the 20^th century was.