You also have to realize that NATO invested tremendous amount of time and capital into the recovery of Japan and Germany following WW2. They didn't want a repeat of WW1 where the damage done to the defeated nations created a festering resentment and yet another war 20 years later.
You're right that there were other factors at play. I'm just trying to point out that the two are not as incomparable to one another as they were being made out to be.
