We Tried Staying Out of War Once Before. Pearl Harbor Ended That

In an ideal world, every human would be a pacifist. All of us singing Kumbaya around the fire, with no greed for what others had, or threat of death for what we believed. There was a world like that. Once. In the Garden of Eden. But no more.

I’ve been thinking about the conflict with Iran. I read that less than 1/3 of Americans polled supported it. It made me think of American pacifism in the 1930s. Back then the public, especially midwestern Republicans, wanted nothing to do with another European war. They felt burned by WWI and maybe rightly so. Organizations like the America First Committee said we could stay strong, defend our own borders and avoid foreign conflicts. It sounded reasonable. Even responsible. But while America was determined to step back, Hitler and Japan were stepping forward-expanding. Eventually, the war found us at Pearl Harbor.

I’m not saying pacifism caused the war. That lies solely with Hitler and the other aggressors. But I believe something that may be uncomfortable to hear, especially if you know young men and women of fighting age. Sometimes, stepping back doesn’t keep conflict from touching us, it gives conflict and aggressors room to grow. To grow into a threat that will eventually find us no matter what we do. What would have happened if we had stepped in earlier and given aid to European democracies when Hitler was at his weakest?

Today a lot of Americans are tired of overseas conflicts. I get it. Me, too. But history shows us that what happens “over there” never stays “over there.” Oceans didn’t save us in 1941. Today, cyberattacks, terror attacks at home or attacks on our allies and friends overseas, and the resulting economic impact are sure to find us. The world is a much smaller place than the 1930s.

I support the decision to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to deliver them. This is after all the regime that has killed countless Americans, from those killed when it took power in 1979 and the ensuing 47 years including the Beirut US Marine barracks bombing to IEDs and the Oct. 7 attack on Israel in which 46 Americans were murdered with 12 more taken hostage by Iran’s proxies. Iran is/was part of the alignment that includes China and Russia. “Death to America” was a popular refrain by Iranian leaders last week.

There’s a reason why many young Iranians are not cowering in bomb shelters. They know the bombs are not meant for them. You and I have both seen the news reports of them on their balconies filming the strikes on their oppressive government or celebrating privately in their apartments. Compare that to the residents of the 10 countries Iran and their proxies are currently attacking, including an EU member–Cyprus. The residents of these countries are sheltering in place because they know the Iranian destruction IS meant for them.

So to the pacifists, or at least the majority who question this action, I say that there’s a difference between naive hopes for peace when we do nothing and being proactive. I get the hesitation. We haven’t always gotten it right and have often done it imperfectly. But pretending that world events don’t eventually come calling on our shores is a long-disproved theory.

We still live in the most prosperous society, the most free society, the most pull yourselves up by the bootstraps society that has ever existed in human history. With that comes great responsibility and often sacrifice.

And, overall, the world is likely a better place because we exist, even with all our problems. Even with flawed leaders and imperfect citizens.

–Dwight Widaman is editor of Metro Voice