Sullivan points out the obvious--that humanitarian war is like welfare:
When you see nation-building as a very expensive and usually counterproductive form of international welfare - you can see why its logic never ends. Intervention creates dependency which prevents departure. Like government programs, these wars have a life of their own. Afghanistan seems as ineradicable as the mohair subsidy. And it develops its own constituency: the Pentagon that doesn't want to be seen to fail, the NGOs and contractors that follow in a swarm, and the fear of any president that he might be seen as a defeatist or weak if he truly pulls the plug.
It is worth adding, however, that America's domestic entitlements have a chance of helping you or me, and involve a lot less death.
The ultimate issue is that we live in a world where evil not only exists, but often triumphs. Humanitarian intervention seeks to change this sorry state of affairs, by tipping the balance in favor of good. Yet, regardless of intentions, playing God with the destinies of foreign societies is a foolish endeavor, even for the most powerful nation on earth--not the least because we too are ignorant, corrupted and selfish.
When you see nation-building as a very expensive and usually counterproductive form of international welfare - you can see why its logic never ends. Intervention creates dependency which prevents departure. Like government programs, these wars have a life of their own. Afghanistan seems as ineradicable as the mohair subsidy. And it develops its own constituency: the Pentagon that doesn't want to be seen to fail, the NGOs and contractors that follow in a swarm, and the fear of any president that he might be seen as a defeatist or weak if he truly pulls the plug.
It is worth adding, however, that America's domestic entitlements have a chance of helping you or me, and involve a lot less death.
The ultimate issue is that we live in a world where evil not only exists, but often triumphs. Humanitarian intervention seeks to change this sorry state of affairs, by tipping the balance in favor of good. Yet, regardless of intentions, playing God with the destinies of foreign societies is a foolish endeavor, even for the most powerful nation on earth--not the least because we too are ignorant, corrupted and selfish.
