Is there a world community?  A world torn by war, as our world was from 1914 to 1918, may not seem to give much evidence of it, and many would at once answer “No” to our question.  And yet such phrases as the “brotherhood of man” and the “cause of humanity” are familiar to us all.  We may briefly discuss the question in this study, because if there is such a community, we are all members of it, and our membership in it affects our lives as individuals and as a nation.

WHAT THE WAR DISCLOSED WITH REGARD TO A WORLD COMMUNITY

The world community is certainly very imperfectly developed, but while the war emphasized its imperfections, it also furnished evidence if its reality.  Its existence depends upon the presence of recognized common purposes and of organized teamwork in accomplishing these purposes, as in the case of any community.  The war disclosed conflicting interests among the nations; but it united for a common purpose a larger part of the world’s population than had ever before acted together in a common cause.  It disclosed an interdependence among the nations and the peoples of the world that we had not thought of.  And while it disclosed the weakness of the world’s organization for teamwork, it aroused us to the possibilities of such organization, made us long for it, and brought us, as many believe, a step nearer to its accomplishment.

AMERICA’S DETACHMENT FROM THE WORLD

Separated by wide oceans, from the rest of the world, our nation grew and prospered with a sense of security from the conflicts that from time to time disturbed the Old World.  We early adopted a policy of avoiding entanglements that might draw us into these conflicts.  In his Farewell Address, Washington said: 

The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. ...  Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and posterity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor, or caprice?  It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.

A few years later, President Monroe issued his famous statement, known as the Monroe Doctrine, which, recognizing the principle that Washington had stated, also denied the right of European powers to interfere with the free growth of the republican nations of North and South America.  The United States has steadfastly held to this doctrine from that day to this.

NATIONS HAVE BECOME CLOSE NEIGHBORS