Every war is bad and, in the end, no one is wiser. Nearly 100,000 U.S. soldiers have died in armed conflicts since World War Ⅱ. None of these military actions was vital to the national interest. Many were unsuccessful and undesirable, undermining respect for the U.S. abroad. Fighting does not always defend freedom, but frequently limits dissent and civil liberties, as have the "war on terrorism" and remarks by the Bush Administration that criticism of its policies in Iraq aids and comforts the enemy. The U.S. won a great military victory in World War Ⅱ, but each conflict creates new problems. Eastern Europe and China fell under communism, and colonial empires collapsed. NATO prevented USSR expansion into Western Europe, but no evidence has emerged that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and his successors ever planned to invade the West.
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