The limits of a one-size-fits-all geopolitical theory

A country falling into another camp might create political momentum elsewhere, so the Domino Theory is not dismissed outright. Its weakness is the tendency to treat countries with different peoples, economies, and local problems as interchangeable pieces. The Marshall Plan offers a contrasting method: economic recovery made existing political systems more viable and reduced incentives to overturn them. Its support was tailored much more closely to individual European states than the one-size-fits-all approaches later applied across parts of Asia and Africa.