[Does so]

“Washington had a point when he advised the country to avoid foreign entanglements.”

Twelve years after Washington’s death, this nation’s Capitol building was burned to the ground—by British soldiers.

[Leaning Right]

> “Washington had a point when he advised the country to avoid foreign entanglements.”

Twelve years after Washington’s death, this nation’s Capitol building was burned to the ground—by British soldiers. <

You raise an interesting hypothetical!

Let’s say the early United States had ignored Washington’s advice, and had entered into a permanent alliance with, say, France. Then perhaps the war of 1812 would not have happened.

But then America would have had to support Napoleon during the War of the Third Coalition (Napoleon’s enemies started that war).

So would a permanent US - French alliance have prevented wars, or just got us involved in more wars?