In the 1946 Frank Capra film It’s a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart plays the part of George Bailey whose life challenges–legal, financial, personal–seem so overwhelming that he believes it would be better if he’d never been born. An angel named Clarence shows him what a world without George would look like. George realizes that he has affected the world in countless positive ways, and a world without him would be dark, hopeless and cruel.
I wonder if the world is currently having an It’s a Wonderful Life experience. There have always been challenges on the world stage and it was fashionable to blame the United States for most of them. We were accused of interventionism, imperialism, brinksmanship and bellicosity among other sins. Some, even in our own country, stated openly that if the United States would just stay out of the world’s business, we could all coexist happily and peacefully. The natural conclusion was that the world would be better off if the United States had never been born.
And now, thanks to the hapless, incoherent and inept foreign policy this nation is currently following, the world is able to see exactly what happens without the active engagement of the United States.
Russia feels free to invade a neighboring sovereign state. Terrorists take over Syria and Iraq, making these countries not state sponsors of terrorism, but actual terrorist states with valuable petroleum resources. Iran brazenly pursues its nuclear weapons program. American allies are abandoned or betrayed by our foreign policy decisions. China bullies Taiwan, Japan and Vietnam. North Korea launches rockets capable of delivering their nukes anywhere in the world.
All these occurrences are encouraged and enabled because the United States has no more credibility on the world stage. It is as if this great nation -- once a reliable guarantor of freedom, order and the rule of law -- had never been born.
For years, many inside and outside this country complained about America taking on the job of the world’s policeman. Like a policeman, the United States reminded all that disorder, lawlessness and violence would not be tolerated, that someone was always watching, that there would be consequences for aggressive acts. This authority made some uncomfortable. But a world without the United States, like a community without a policeman, is dark, hopeless – sure to be overwhelmed by villainy and consumed by chaos.
The movie has a happy ending. George Bailey realizes he is indispensable to a community that is happy, orderly and safe. We can only hope the United States also has a second chance to resume its position as an indispensable member of the free nations of the globe. In the meantime, the world gets to see what life is like without us.
