Come on Tom. Show me a graph that proves that all those countries would be in worse shape had we not dumped huge amounts of military hardware and personnel into their territories.

You're going to have to admit this one pal. As much as our national policy has gone the lines of your thinking, it's purely hypothetical exactly what our influence has been. This isn't something you can back up with data or even historical justification. In fact, history has shown that nations left alone to evolve even when faced with strong local adversaries have often prospered in the long run.

Our own country is a prime example. We aren't where we are today because other powerful nations meddled in our growth. We're powerful despite that.

I believe our messing in other country's business is probably a wash in the end. Yes, it probably appears we're doing the right thing by standing up to oppression and evil but we weaken ourselves every time we do spending huge amounts of resources that could be directed towards building and maintaining our own infrastructure and society. We also tend to arm the world probably creating more death and destruction in the end than we prevent.

Where in the world have you traveled? From your black and white viewpoint, my guess is it's been very limited. Go spend some time in places you cite like South Korea. Go hang out in the Phillipines for awhile. See for yourself the stain US bases make on those societies in exchange for "keeping them safe". Get back to me once you do. It'll be a different conversation.

Art