Don’t Wait For Another Pearl Harbor

America must distinguish between avoiding unnecessary wars and ignoring gathering threats.

Allan J. Feifer | October 4, 2026

America is visibly careening toward a state of isolationism we haven't witnessed since the 1930s. Two-thirds of my audience probably just stopped reading. But I hope you'll stay with me while I lay out something that directly matters to you today.

In 1940, the Gallup organization asked Americans:

Should the United States declare war on Germany and send our army and navy to Europe to fight?

Eighty-two percent said no; another poll found that 77% opposed declaring war even if Germany was defeating England and France.

Then, a week after Pearl Harbor, Gallup asked:

Do you approve or disapprove of Congress declaring war on Japan?

Ninety-seven percent said yes, revealing perhaps polling's largest flip-flop ever.

The world changed on December 7; however, the underlying dangers had existed long before the attack. Pearl Harbor forced Americans to confront realities they had believed could remain distant.

America often drifts in similar denial until we're smacked in the face yet again. That's today's challenge: How do we confront serious threats early—when they're still nascent, and action may prevent war—rather than wait until they become unavoidable?

Roosevelt understood the danger and had spent months preparing a nation determined to stay out. Pearl Harbor ended the debate. Overnight, Americans grasped the new reality: war had arrived, and there was no alternative path forward.

But consider the counterfactual.

What if Pearl Harbor had never happened? What if Hitler had said, "Stay out, and we'll leave you alone"? What if Japan had avoided........

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