By Isabelle Adler
When Hitler rose to power in 1933, his intentions to remilitarize Germany did not go unnoticed. It was an ‘open secret’ that Germany was breaking the Treaty of Versailles. The Western leadership, including figures like Franklin D. Roosevelt, had plenty of opportunities to intervene and neutralize Germany’s impending threat. Like most heads of state, Franklin D. Roosevelt was a realist. F.D.R. and the other Western allies watched from the sidelines as Germany gained ample military sophistication, industrial resources, and manpower.
However, Winston Churchill was quick to recognize that Hitler’s Nazi Germany was an evil regime that would lead to a war of good against pure evil. He understood that Hitler posed a direct threat not just to Britain, but to the whole free world. Churchill’s predictions set him apart from his Western allies who underestimated the wicked Nazi regime.
By May of 1940, Churchill was elected prime minister and had inherited what he called an“unnecessary war” that former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had allowed to languish through inaction. Although Europe was in ruins and Nazi Germany was vastly expanding, nothing sparked a response from the United States. The U.S. had once again proven to be isolationist, betraying Britain and the rest of its European allies. It was not until 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Hitler declared war against the U.S. that F.D.R. was forced to face the evils of the Nazi regime and the Axis of Evil that included Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Today, we are spiraling backward while we face a similar modern-day threat to democracy and the free world. The Iranian regime and its proxies have been dangling a nuclear weapon program over the heads of Israel and the United States for approximately 30 years. Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel highlights a critical observation in his autobiography, noting, “It is clear that 95 percent of Israel’s security problems come from Iran.” He also writes that years before 9/11 he saw “clouds on the horizon with the advent of radical Islam.” He believed then and now that the greatest danger to democracy and the West is the formation of Islamic terrorist states. Nuclear weapons will not only terrorize Israel’s citizens and neighbors but could destabilize the entire world.
Israel’s greatest ally, the United States, has been a monumental weapon and financial support system for the State of Israel, but will there ever be a day when the United States supplies more than just aid to their allies? The current war in Ukraine that erupted in February of 2022 exemplifies this pattern. The United States has provided major financial assistance and weaponry to Ukraine. John Wojcik from People’s World stated it has become clear that the United States “will pay for the weapons while the Ukrainians do the dying.” The ongoing wars in both Ukraine and Gaza raise pressing questions about the United States’ sincerity of alliances in the face of existential threats
Benjamin Netanyahu has drawn a connection in his autobiography between modern-day Iran and Nazi Germany. According to Netanyahu, as stated in his autobiography, Iran is the Nazi Germany of the 21st century and the goal is “to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear arms, to prevent Iran from regional hegemony, and to prevent Iran from annihilating the Jews.” Netanyahu has persistently sounded this alarm and the catastrophic potential Iran has to destroy the free world. Netanyahu’s stark comparison of Iran to Nazi Germany should serve as a clear reminder of the growing threat to global security that should resonate with the international community.
The terror in the Middle East is fueled by Iran and its ongoing support for their proxy groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and numerous other militias throughout the region. These terrorist organizations have threatened regional stability and have stated that they wish to destroy the State of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. The interplay between these proxies is directly connected to Iran’s ambitions to gain nuclear power.
Netanyahu is emerging as the modern-day Churchill of the Middle East as we navigate this increasingly complex global threat. His unwavering warnings against the Iranian regime are a reflection of national interests, but also a moral interest to protect democracy and uphold the democratic values we claim to hold dear.
History has shown us that the consequence of inaction can lead to unnecessary war. The question remains: will the United States learn from history, or are they doomed to repeat it?
Photo Caption: Benjamin Netanyahu addressing U.S. Congress
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons