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The Price of Appeasement
By Bob Davidson, Canton
Putting American lives at danger by going to war is a difficult decision for any president. Beyond the moral questions of the loss of lives and the financial cost to the nation, there are the political risks if things do not end well.
The world has patiently tolerated ten years of Iraq's violating the agreement it made with the UN. While our President takes the cautious step of waiting for the UN to display some moral backbone, some accuse him of "a rush to violence."
A look at the past gives us some insights into how former presidents have dealt with apparent military threats, either to our country or to our allies.
France did not act to force Germany to honor the treaty of Versailles and Locarno in March of 1936 when Hitler re-militarized the Rhineland. Hitler later said, "If the French had marched into the Rhineland, we would have had to withdraw with our tails between our legs." This is a lesson the French seem to have forgotten. Both France and Britain chose not to support Czechoslovakia militarily in 1938—a mistake that apparently only Britain remembers today.
During World War II, President Roosevelt, the most political savvy president prior to Slick Willie, didn't even respond to our allies until half of Europe was lost. There is even some evidence that the attack on Pearl Harbor was allowed to happen so that fighting Japan would not risk the president's popularity. The result: hundreds of thousands of lives were lost that might have been saved.
When the Communists were on the run in Korea and General MacArthur wanted to continue the war and defeat North Korea's ally, China, President Truman called it quits. He fired General MacArthur and settled for a partial victory. Today the Koreans have still not signed a peace agreement and China is still a threat both in its weapons development and its lawless dealing with Taiwan.
When President Kennedy backed out of the Bay of Pigs operation in Cuba, Mr. Castro won the battle and has been a thorn in our side ever since.
If we had followed General MacArthur's advice in Korea, the Chinese-supported war in Vietnam could have been won. Lukewarm presidential support for the war led to rebellion at home and defeat in the battle.
So, there we have it. We are an honorable nation. We have in the past prided ourselves on only attacking when attacked. With the benefit of hindsight, we should now consider what might have been.
What if we (or others) had taken immediate action to stop Hitler, Castro, bin Laden, the Japanese, the Chinese and other aggressors before or when they began hostile actions? It would appear that the battles would have been short, millions of lives would have been saved, and most of the international threats of today would not exist. George F. Will, in a recent editorial, quoted General MacArthur's axiom that all military disasters are explained by two words: "Too late." Wills adds: "Too late in discerning threats, too late in countering them."
Appeasement and caution can make sense. They can also be terribly expensive in the long run. Let us pray that our leaders will show the wisdom to be cautious and the honor and courage to make the right decision.
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