President McKinley and the Meddler’s Trap

 President William McKinley's approach to the Philippines and how it reflects a concept known as the "meddler's trap. " This term refers to a situation where a leader interferes in a foreign matter through military action, inadvertently creating new problems that they feel compelled to resolve. This cycle is fueled by a cognitive bias called the endowment effect, which makes people overvalue what they feel they own. When the U. S. military intervened in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War in 1898, it led to the annexation of the islands, as the feeling of ownership made it difficult for leaders to allow the Philippines to operate independently.

The Philippine Islands, which were home to about nine million people and over 6,500 miles west of California in 1898, had limited resources and no established manufacturing sector. McKinley’s motivations for annexation are unclear due to a lack of documentation. Following the annexation, conflict erupted between American forces and Filipino nationalists seeking independence. The resulting Philippine-American War lasted three years and resulted in significant casualties on both sides, including over 4,200 American soldiers and upwards of 20,000 Filipino fighters, with additional civilian deaths from related issues.

The article questions whether this war could have been avoided if the U. S. had refrained from intervention. Mukharji points out that the experience of ownership that comes from military intervention can distort perceptions of national interest, making minor issues seem significant after involvement. McKinley’s belief that the Philippines were essential to U. S. interests stemmed from the fact that American forces were already present there, reflecting the self-entrapment characteristic of the meddler's trap.

The discussion highlights that past U. S. conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan also represent such meddler's traps, as leaders found it hard to withdraw troops despite bipartisan support. The notion that another nation's affairs should not be meddled in unless they pose a direct threat is emphasized as a wise approach to foreign relations. The article suggests that national leaders and citizens often resent unsolicited foreign involvement, proposing that if a nation’s actions do not negatively affect one’s country, there should be no interference.

https://mises.org/mises-wire/president-mckinley-and-meddlers-trap