War Is Peace

Barack Obama accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, 10 December 2009:

"The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms. The service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform has promoted peace and prosperity and enabled democracy to take hold. We have borne this burden not because we seek to impose our will. We have done so because we seek a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if other peoples' children and grandchildren can live in freedom and prosperity."

This is probably unnecessary, but here are some examples of the US not seeking to impose its will:

Korean War 1950-53	Guatemala 1954	Indonesia 1958
Cuba 1959-60	Congo 1964	Vietnam 1961-73
Laos 1964-73	Cambodia 1969-70	Lebanon 1982
Grenada 1983	Honduras 1983-89	El Salvador 1980s
Nicaragua 1980s	Libya 1986	Iran 1987-88
Panama 1989	Philippines 1989	Iraq 1991 to present
Somalia 1992-95	Haiti 1994-95	Sudan 1998
Yugoslavia 1999	Afghanistan 2001 to present	Yemen 2000-2002

Clearly Obama's BA in international relations from Columbia University seems more limited than one would expect of an Ivy League institution.