Call of Duty

When our forefathers wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence, they stated that the U.S. should never interfere in the affairs of other countries. Our nation would stand proudly as an example, and other governments around the world would strip off their old skins and create new democracies without our assistance.

Sadly, we do not live in the founding fathers’ utopia, and within the last hundred years, the U.S. has been involved in several wars. If we were still a new nation with few resources and a small military force, I would agree with the Declaration of Independence’s statement. Our country is not weak, however – it has transformed into one of the world’s superpowers. With our plethora of national resources, the strength of our military, and our immense wealth, it is our duty to help other countries fight for freedom. Neglecting to use the resources with which we are blessed to help countries that are less fortunate would be a terrible mistake.

During World War II, the U.S. naively tried to remain neutral but was attacked by the Japanese. We then declared war and sent troops to Europe and the Pacific. With the help of new supplies, men, and ­ammunition, the U.S. helped the Allies defeat Hitler in Europe. The Allied forces might have eventually prevailed, but it could have been too late for many more Jews if the United States had not intervened.

There are rules for this call of duty. The U.S. should only help countries that want our help, because even though we may think a country needs us, the citizens may feel differently. For example, the U.S. declared war on Iraq after the terrorist attacks on September 11th, and decided to help the Iraqi people gain more freedom. By now we could have called back the troops, ­because we have instilled demo­cratic ideas into the people, but still the war continues. It seems as though the Iraqi people do no want us in their country any longer, and we should comply with their wishes. Iraq needs the chance to see whether it can manage without our support.

Though it is the U.S.’s duty to help less fortunate countries gain freedom, our nation needs to think carefully before meddling in others’ affairs. We have a responsibility as a world superpower, but we should use that power only when another country truly needs our help.