Nation Building?

Question

So many people complain about the US building other Nations.
I want to know your position on about the Marshall plan and how the US helped rebuild Europe. Should we have just let the Soviets take over the whole of Europe and then faught them? How is Iraq any different?

Wanted to add. Do you have any Idea of the debt that we went into to rebuild Europe? What we are spending on Iraq is not a relative drop in the proverbial bucket

relative money as is percent of GDP

Answer 1

There really is not much of a difference, insofar as they are both key nation building operations. Both are/were attempting to stabilize democratic nations and their institutions in the hope that if this is accomplished, their people will join us as allies in the struggle against a totalitarian movement. The best way to combat totalitarian ideologies such as the one espoused by Al Qaeda is establishing a free society where people can access the facts, and be free from a government that would merely indoctrinate them into hating the Jews, hating Americans, hating Europeans, etc.

Of course you could call it a difference that the Marshall plan was done to oppose communism and Iraq was not, but that would be a rather superficial difference.

Answer 2

United States wanted to have as many allies in the world and it is the reason why it wanted to help other countries like rebuilding the European countries destroyed during the last World War. The invasion of Iraq is for another reason, to control the oil.