I think it is time to examine history in relation to the Soviet Union and it's aggression. The then Soviet Union moved against Finland to take land it believed would serve to protect it from Hitler. It was a war of priorities. The Soviet Union has typically taken land and annexed countries when it has plans of a greater war. I remind, Putin himself RECENTLY stated he wanted to take back Alaska. That would provide him a bridge to Canada and sequester the Arctic Ocean entirely to Russian possession, with the exception of Greenland and part of Europe, but, it would provide controlling status.
The ‘Winter War’ of 1939-1940, (click here) also known as the Russo-Finnish War, saw the tiny Finnish Army take on the might of the Soviet Union’s gigantic Red Army....
The United Nations should consider a "convention" of neutrality and define it clearly. Neutral countries are still expected to PATROL it's borders to protect sovereignty. They can also have allies that could intervene should there be a threat.
World War II changed everything. I believe it was President Eisenhower that warned the USA about it's military industrial complex and the temptation to over reach the power that had become the USA.
Senator George W. Norris on the repeal of the
Neutrality Acts, 1939 (click here)
Between 1935 and 1937 Congress passed three "Neutrality Acts" that tried to keep the United States out of war, by making it illegal for Americans to sell or transport arms, or other war materials to belligerent nations. Supporters of neutrality, called "isolationists" by their critics, argued that America should avoid entangling itself in European wars. "Internationalists" rejected the idea that the United States could remain aloof from Europe and held that the nation should aid countries threatened with aggression.
In the spring of 1939, as Germany, Japan, and Italy pursued militaristic policies, President Roosevelt wanted more flexibility to meet the Fascist challenge. FDR suggested amending the act to allow warring nations to purchase munitions if they paid cash and transported the goods on non-American ships, a policy that favored Britain and France. Initially, this proposal failed, but after Germany invaded Poland in September, Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1939 ending the munitions embargo on a "cash and carry" basis.
The passage of the 1939 Neutrality Act marked the beginning of a congressional shift away from isolationism. Over the next 2 years, Congress took further steps to oppose fascism. One of the most important was the 1941 approval of Lend-Lease, which allowed the United States to transfer arms to nations vital to the national defense.
Neutrality is a very delicate thing no matter how much the people of a country favor it. Neutrality can provide economic incentives and benefits. However, with a world in flux and Russia becoming aggressive, neutrality of most countries that practice it, is being questioned.
