more i think about this today the more im leaning toward cloaked imperial project. the Wilson administration, fitting as it was headed by a virulent white supremacist, wanted to get into the imperial game, and saw an opportunity in ww1. how else do you explain the US' outsized participation in peace talks and advocacy for the League of Nations---a LON whose first task was not-coincidentally going to be taking over the administration of territories belonging to germany and the ottoman empire. the naval treaty negotiated a few years later hamstrung the royal navy without firing a shot.
That would track with the cultural forces I'm referring to as well. This "do the manly war thing" was based on how doing imperialism makes you cool. Even if you aren't doing war against native people and instead other imperial powers, if you are doing war for imperial goals, that fits in perfectly with the culture.
more i think about this today the more im leaning toward cloaked imperial project. the Wilson administration, fitting as it was headed by a virulent white supremacist, wanted to get into the imperial game, and saw an opportunity in ww1. how else do you explain the US' outsized participation in peace talks and advocacy for the League of Nations---a LON whose first task was not-coincidentally going to be taking over the administration of territories belonging to germany and the ottoman empire. the naval treaty negotiated a few years later hamstrung the royal navy without firing a shot.
That would track with the cultural forces I'm referring to as well. This "do the manly war thing" was based on how doing imperialism makes you cool. Even if you aren't doing war against native people and instead other imperial powers, if you are doing war for imperial goals, that fits in perfectly with the culture.