The American Century Essay

A debate that has plagued American society is whether the United States, with its immense militaristic and economic power, has a moral obligation to intervene in cases of tyranny or extreme humanitarian crises. In “The American Century,” Henry Luce argues that America has such a duty and advocates for intervention to fight Nazi tyranny and spread democratic ideals. Many continue to argue for such humanitarian intervention today in cases like Syria and ISIS, but others have an opposing view. For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern when the United States debated intervening in Syria in “A Plea for Caution.” Putin contends that intervention in Syria and American interventionism in general is often immoral, and many share

Putin contends that America is not intervening for humanitarian purposes, but rather as a terrorizing nation forcing all others to share its ideals. Putin says: “Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan ‘you’re either with us or against us’” (Putin 10). Putin’s view is shared by many who believe America intervenes only to force its ideals upon other nations, and therefore terrorize them. Furthermore, this belief greatly fuels anti-American sentiment, inducing a belief that refusing to intervene is the moral decision. Another reason Putin and others find American interventionism immoral and condemnable is that they believe it undermines international law and the United Nations. Putin points out: “Force is permitted only in self-defense or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable” (Putin 8). He also says the following about America intervening in Syria: “It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance” (Putin 5). Putin argues that when America decides to unilaterally intervene it undermines all international efforts and therefore intervention is immoral. Many, therefore, think American interventionism, even for humanitarian purposes, is actually

In today’s interconnected, globalized world, isolationism no longer seems like a viable option. It is also evident that humanitarian crises continue to unfortunately occur, from genocide to tyranny to gross human rights violations. It is simply immoral for this globalized world to idly sit and allow these extreme crises to continue. It is true that, to address these situations, America should try to form international coalitions and use the United Nations, even though it has constantly proven to be ineffective. America should try and exhaust every option diplomatically and economically before intervening militaristically. America should not seek every opportunity possible to be a global policeman that forces its ideals upon other nations. However, In extreme humanitarian crises where the world is silent and looks towards the United States of America, America has a moral obligation to be a an effective force for good and