From Isolation to Intervention

While the US was a neutral and isolationist country during the beginning of WW2, after Great Britain, Germany, and Italy were already at war, but before Russia and Germany were at war, there was already an interest in creating a world free of aggression. This meant the countries that tended to show aggression—such as Germany, Italy, and Japan—would not be allowed to rearm. It was not from a perspective of punishment but more from the perspective that if the world is at peace, it is better for trade and better for the US【1】.

Roosevelt's views were quite progressive and liberal, as there was support for any form of government for other countries as long as there would be no military conflict. Churchill met with Roosevelt in Newfoundland, Canada, to negotiate war terms, where England needed help against the Germans, but Roosevelt wanted to further his own aspirations for a better world after the war【2】. The US had a problem with Great Britain's colonies, a topic that was taboo in British society. While the US agreed to provide the British with lend-lease assistance, where the British would receive military support as long as they paid for it, Churchill was against this arrangement【3】. However, the Russians, who were facing a full-scale invasion by Germany, agreed to such terms with the US as they needed the equipment【4】.

While Russia was not trusted and difficult to manage, there was a US position that was inclusive of Russia and Stalin in any post-war agreements, which were less acceptable to European Western powers, especially Great Britain【5】. Of notable disparity in the situation that Churchill and Roosevelt found themselves in was in the state of the battleships that transported each head of state to Newfoundland. Roosevelt's ship was polished and clean, while Churchill's was battle-worn and in full camouflage【6】.

Once the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 and soon thereafter Germany and Italy declared war on the US, Roosevelt's response was to the effect of having been attacked by thugs and criminals【7】. Thugs and criminals, as they disturbed the world order with their aggression; this, in a way, is the beginning of America's role as world police. Especially once they abandoned including Russia in a post-war alliance, since they were too difficult to come to an agreement with, they ended up creating the North Atlantic Alliance or NATO, with the US as the head that would keep Europe and the world out of war【8】.

References:

1. Roosevelt, F. D. (1941). Four Freedoms Speech. National Archives.
2. Atlantic Conference. (1941). The Atlantic Charter. National Archives.
3. Lend-Lease Act. (1941). History.com.
4. Mikhailov, S. (2021). The Soviet Union and the Lend-Lease Act: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Military History.
5. Glantz, D. M. (1995). The Soviet-German War 1941-1945: Myths and Realities. The Case for a New Understanding.
6. Hastings, M. (2011). Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945. HarperCollins.
7. Roosevelt, F. D. (1941). Address to Congress Requesting a Declaration of War against Japan. American Presidency Project.
8. NATO. (2010). The North Atlantic Treaty. NATO Official Website.