Politically derived doctrines, declarations, constitutions, so on, while they may reflect the contemporary ideologies, truths, fears and hopes of their signatories, do not themselves cause anything.

In my view (if we must over-simplify), we need look no further than the hubris and pride baked into the national character of the USA following what to this day is largely considered (at least in the US) a ‘good war’ victory over the Nazis. Especially coming, as it did, on the heels of WWI, a feeling of pride wholly justified—once again we’d ‘saved Europe from itself’!—suffused the US character to the point of fault.

This pride was only fed by other nations looking across both the Atlantic and Pacific for alliance, arms, investment, protection, even ideological guidance and global leadership, roles that, for better or worse, we in the US willingly embraced.

The Truman Doctrine, while reflecting that pride and sense of responsibility, is otherwise mere words on a page.

But we mustn’t forget, as well, the role played by Joseph Stalin in crafting the Truman Doctrine.

Stalin missed enormous goodwill opportunity in Western Europe. On the heels of victory, achieved at colossal personal cost to Russian citizens, Stalin, in the process of liberating millions from a Nazi yoke, merely substituted a Soviet yoke, thereby ‘liberating’ none.

Goodbye goodwill towards Russia and communism.

Lacking that little detail of history, there would likely be no NATO, no Truman Doctrine, no Cold War.

Thanks for the read!