After completing both of the readings, I have elected to focus on the article that outlines 12 problems with World War 2, and I am going to provide my opinion on these listed problems as I tend to disagree with most of what was said. To begin, “World War 2 Was Not a Just War” provides 12 examples of why WW2 was unjustified and why the United States should have approached entering and fighting the war differently. The article posed many ideas that appear to be more hopeful conspiracy theories than actual, proven knowledge. For example, reason 2 alludes to the idea that FDR intentionally prompted the Japanese to strike pearl harbor for the sole purpose of having an excuse to join the war. This is not proven, nor does this make sense as the Japanese would never have agreed to this proposal knowing that they would eventually be attacked by the United States and lose many, many Japanese citizens. Also, reason 4 delineates the idea that WW2 was not a defensive war and that the United States’ president, FDR, lied about Nazi intentions to rally the American people into desiring war. Again, I do not believe that this is true as the United States would be in shambles if it was proven to be true that the president lied so the country could intentionally incite violence in a foreign territory with the sole purpose of killing.
Furthermore, there are other points in the text that I also believe to be untrue based on familial experience. In high school, I was tasked with tracing my familial roots by talking to my grandparents and great grandparents about their life and immigration stories. I am Jewish and my ancestors fled from Europe during the WW2 era in an attempt to flee the anti-Semitic nature of their home as well as find a new beginning as being a European jew at this time was difficult. Through recounted stories, I uncovered that my ancestors came to America and were welcomed with love, promise, and opportunity the moment they arrived. This directly contradicts the statements and content of argument number 3 saying that the United States had a negative and unwelcoming attitude towards Jewish refugees. That same story holds true with many of my Jewish friends as well.
Finally, I take a large problem with the idea of demilitarization that is proposed multiple times throughout the article for example in reasoning number(s): 6&12. The United States is a world power that maintains our status as a dominant country through military ability. While we are not conquering or seeking un-necessary wars, we delegate money to our military as a preventative measure that protects American citizens, our allies, and our democratic style of government that allows us Americans freedoms that are forbidden all over the world. There are countries like North Korea and China that despise the United States’ type of government, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if a war were to arise because of this at some point. The sole knowledge that those countries possess of our military strength often defuses potential war situations because the United States’ military has the power to defend the country from any foreign threat across the globe. Pouring money into military funding keeps the United States’ homeland safe, and protects the freedoms and safeties that we all take for granted every day.
While I understand that there are many contradicting opinions to my arguments and points made, I strongly disagreed with much of the contents of this article. It was quite interesting to read and hear the perspectives of different opinions on World War 2, I believe that the war was necessary for saving the lives of millions of people, dismantling a racist, homophobic, the regime in the German Nazi’s, and protecting the people of the United States. Without US involvement, there is no telling where the world may be today, which gives me comfort in the United States’ involvement in the war.
I agree that managing and supporting the United States military is one of the prices of maintaining freedom and protection, which is crucial considering the number of countries the United States actively protects. Many are quick to state how large and expensive the United States military is, but proportionally it makes complete sense. As stated by the Washington Post, the US “is bound by treaties to defend a quarter of humanity”, meaning the US is an active deterrent for at least 67 countries and has troops stationed in 150 out of 195 countries. To me, this is an extension of the promise made after WWI by Wilson and hinders countries like China and North Korea’s (as William stated) ability to make economic, territorial, or social plays onto other countries. The United States military presence around the world acts as the better of many evils but is obviously not perfect. Many argue that the expansive United States military is an example of current-day imperialist practices, which I think is partly true and partly false. The presence of foreign military can, and does, act as an external pressure that the US does use for its benefit (which is a form of imperialism) but ultimately I think it is to prevent a more brutal imperialist like Hitler himself from ever forming again.