The U.S. acted in its own self-interest? GASP!

So, your thesis is that South Korea, Taiwan, and West Germany were not more free, prosperous, and much better places to live than their counterparts? And if so, what's the motivation involved in ensuring that got to do with it?

Of course we did business with them, and they with us, and both of us profited by it. The concept of free association, commerce, and mutual benefit is alien to many leftists who cannot see the world except as predator and prey, exploiter and exploited, with only the gun dictating human relationships.

So what if American companies made money trading with Taiwan? Taiwan made money (more, actually) trading with us. That's how it works.

After WWII, America eventually left the largest countries it defeated as free, independent, and prosperous states. The Soviet Union enslaved the nations it controlled. That alone should tell you something. Was some self-interest involved in freeing these nations? Yeah, sure. A capitalist nation thrives when other nations are free and prosperous. American companies make loads of money from wealthy nations and prosperous people. You know...customers. We don't make much money off of oppressed tyrannies and beaten slaves. So we have an incentive to make life better for other people. You got a problem with that?