I think it was a question of time-If Europe/Asia/Africa go into the hands of the Axis we are pretty screwed in many ways that would threaten us as a nation.  Nevermind the likelihood that the Germans would have figured out the Atom bomb and that would about have done it.

My biggest problem with WWII is that it is such a unique example that too many wrong-headed lessons are taken from it.  A Hitler comes along rarely, and almost never in conjunction with the opportunity to lead a state like Germany in the throes of dire poverty and its own cultural war.  What was Germany-50 years old as a unified state then?  My biggest problem with WWII and our stance in it is that we could have done more to prevent it, but it really was out of our hands mostly.

I too miss the community of the world.  I felt like we were just getting it back after Vietnam and the evil buffoon knowingly kicked it away to the cheers of an astoundingly high proportion of Americans.  To me that is really shameful.

"I said, 'Wait a minute, Chester, You know I'm a peaceful man...'" Robbie Robertson

FDR was desperately trying to find a way into the European and Pacific wars well before Pearl Harbour. By then, for example, he'd taken over the protection of Atlantic convoys for half of their journey to Britain. He'd also introduced peacetime conscription for the first time in US history, and started a huge military build up - again a first in peacetime, since until then the US had generally maintained rather anemic land forces except during war. The Republicans were hardline isolationists, and with a minority of the Dems made a declaration of war politically impossible.

I'm also not sure how the chaotic mess that was China in the thirties posed any sort of competition. Russia for its part was an ally of Germany's until it got attacked.

And, bluntly, what could we have done about it anyway?  Particularly in Europe the heads of the governments really didn't pay a lot of attention to what we had to say, and we didn't have many more divisions than the pope.  France was still reeling from the loss of a generation, Germany surging with national pride wanted a place in the sun (colonies), Italy with its meglomaniac and the English still looking down their noses at the wogs.  None of them in power were likely to listen to us, they had doom to meet.

I've always thought that the absolute horror and folly of that war is what strengthened the European populations to get control of their governments to make sure that this didn't happen again and knocked the virulent forms of nationalism out of their political structures for 2 generations as a respectable public expression.

"I said, 'Wait a minute, Chester, You know I'm a peaceful man...'" Robbie Robertson

If by that, you mean the Civil War, I suppose you are correct...except for that not inconsiderable portion of your countrymen who still sport the losing flag. On balance (and I know how heavy are both sides) I think the world would have been a better place if you had let them go.

Meanwhile, I don't see how a Pacific War, which led to the nuclear destruction of two cities of an all-but-abjectly-defeated enemy, and occupation of Japan and the Philippines that lasted for decades, and the seizure of the Pacific Islands that persists to this day (and I fine show of freedom they demonstrate)....well can this be called a war of of defense?

The situation and outcome in the European Theatre was more complicated and I want my morning coffee. So for now, I will stipulate that it had a significant defensive component. I just don't think that events and outcome reflects so much to the glory of the American soldier as the myth would have it.  

And it is the relentless myth of glory, of Spotless Christian Hero-dum; the requirement that all the world---absolutely including your own politicians---genuflect to the awesomeness that is any American in uniform, that gives the wiggins about the USA. Yes, I am (in many ways) anti-American, and I think there are some pretty good reasons for it.