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Interventionism in the Spanish American War is why we have the obligations we have today

Posted on 1/1/18 at 10:58 am
Posted by I B Freeman
Member since Oct 2009
27843 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 10:58 am
When people like me advocate for less interventionism we are often criticized and called isolationist. People say our policies of isolationism led to WWII.

I say BS.

At the turn of the 20th century there was an attitude of moral superiority across the USA. People like Teddy Rosevelt wanted war and wanted the USA to build an empire. TR couldn't wait for a war with the Spaniards and when he got it his Navy was very effective in the Philippines. After the surrender of the Spaniards we basically ran the islands and killed hundreds of thousands of Phillipino natives. (read about the Philippine-American war here LINK)

It is this interventionist action that put us in the sights of the imperialist in Japan.

Latter we were forced to intervene in WWI, our second interventionist act. During WWI Japan used the war to grab territory setting up a confrontation with the USA that led to Pearl Harbor.

There is no question the acts of the US in Spanish American War and in WWI led to our involvement in WWII and all the subsequent, almost non stop wars we have been in since.

It is time to change.

There is no virtue in interventionism and no sin in military isolationism.
This post was edited on 1/1/18 at 11:13 am
Posted by RollTide1987
Augusta, GA
Member since Nov 2009
65105 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:02 am to
The Spanish-American War was a bad arse war, bruh. Do you even San Juan Hill?
Posted by Jrv2damac
Kanorado
Member since Mar 2004
65118 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:04 am to
I'm sick of those dumbfricks and misuse of the word isolationism


"war will be fought in the US if we dont intervene!!11"

Posted by CajunSoldier225
Member since Aug 2011
8990 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:05 am to
So, the GWOT is directly caused by the Spanish American War?!

Those Spaniard SOB’s...






Posted by Strannix
District 11
Member since Dec 2012
48927 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:06 am to
quote:

There is no virtue in interventionism and no sin in military isolationism.

There is also no money in either, and this does not click with the "international financiers" and members of the global elite who make trillions off of these conflicts.
Posted by TrueTiger
Chicken's most valuable
Member since Sep 2004
67941 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:07 am to
Japan and U.S. were on same side in WWI.

Also, we should have stayed out of WWI. The world would have been a better place had the Kaiser won.
Posted by Perfect Circle
S W Alabama
Member since Sep 2017
6849 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:08 am to
This event more than any other, pulled the country together after the Civil War. The reason for America's involvement was somewhat manufactured, but many Americans fought in both wars.
Posted by I B Freeman
Member since Oct 2009
27843 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:08 am to
You are correct True.
Posted by cwill
Member since Jan 2005
54752 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:12 am to
quote:

The world would have been a better place had the Kaiser won.


Germany wasn't going to win even if the US hadn't intervened. The most likely outcome would have been a negotiated peace. The downside of a negotiated peace would have been that all of Europe would have been primed for communism (which Germany had released into the Russian wilds).
Posted by Strannix
District 11
Member since Dec 2012
48927 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:15 am to
quote:

Germany wasn't going to win even if the US hadn't intervened.


Wrong
Posted by I B Freeman
Member since Oct 2009
27843 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:15 am to
I agree we should have stayed out of WWI but the Kaiser left us with little choice.

We should have confined our war with Spain to the Caribbean too.
Posted by cwill
Member since Jan 2005
54752 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:18 am to
So you don’t know WWI history.
Posted by airfernando
Member since Oct 2015
15248 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:20 am to
military industrial complex says hi
Posted by Kentucker
Cincinnati, KY
Member since Apr 2013
19351 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:22 am to
We are a warring species. Someone is going to be king of the hill. Might as well be us.
Posted by TrueTiger
Chicken's most valuable
Member since Sep 2004
67941 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:25 am to
Even in that situation a peace deal leaving an intact German Empire would have been preferable to setting the table for the 3rd Reich.
This post was edited on 1/1/18 at 11:31 am
Posted by udtiger
Over your left shoulder
Member since Nov 2006
98826 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:27 am to
quote:

Germany wasn't going to win even if the US hadn't intervened.


This is not certain.

quote:

The most likely outcome would have been a negotiated peace


There was a negotiated peace. It would not have been as lopsided as Versailles, which may have prevented Hitler's rise and WWII.
Posted by cwill
Member since Jan 2005
54752 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:39 am to
quote:


This is not certain.


Of course nothing is certain but both sides were spent. No one was going to “win” like WWII.

quote:

There was a negotiated peace


I know what you’re saying, but that really wasn’t a brokered peace. Germany capitulated and was punished.
Posted by cwill
Member since Jan 2005
54752 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:43 am to
quote:

Even in that situation a peace deal leaving an intact German Empire would have been preferable to setting the table for the 3rd Reich


Of course this is all speculation, however, I’m not sure a peace deal and not victory would have staved off the 3rd Reich...or maybe communism rises in its place. I think violence and revolution was going to tear through Europe regardless.
Posted by Gaspergou202
Metairie, LA
Member since Jun 2016
13496 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:49 am to
The ensuing Philippine-American War lasted three years and resulted in the death of over 4,200 American and over 20,000 Filipino combatants. As many as 200,000 Filipino civilians died from violence, famine, and disease. history.state.gov

You overstate casualties. “As many as” indicates 3 important thing: it’s a guesstimate, it is the maximum guesstimate, and it assumes direct causation from the war. People in the Philippines died from disease, famine, and violence regularly in the Philippines at that time and also in America. Should we include US violence and disease too?

Let’s play what if we didn’t take the Philippines from Spain, and stayed isolationist. Today Europe from the English Channel to the Ural Mountains would be under militant German control, either Imperial or Nazi depended upon who won an Americanless WW I.

Korea, Western Russia, Western China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, New Guinea, Hawaii, and probably Australia and New Zealand would be under the murdering regime of Imperial Japan. An isolationist America would not have Hawaii, so it is possible that militant Germany would control it.

Let’s speculate about Africa and the Americas south of the border. Probably not good.

An isolated isolationist America! "Kumbaya, my Lord"!

Posted by Perfect Circle
S W Alabama
Member since Sep 2017
6849 posts
Posted on 1/1/18 at 11:50 am to
quote:

I know what you're saying, but it really wasn't a brokered peace. Germany capitulated and was punished.


The harsh terms imposed on Germany is what actually set up WW II.
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