I disagree that US diplomatic methods contributed to the war- the same arguments are now being made about the Russian invasion of Ukraine - and is almost a variant on victim blaming.

Richard Overy in his fantastic and detailed book "Blood and Ruins- the Great Imperial War 1931-1945" basically asserts WW2 really started in 1931. And it started BECAUSE of expansionist attitudes in Italy, Germany and Japan. They looked at England and France with their overseas empires and felt diminished. "Why can't we have empire too?" they thought. Even the USA with it's not "empire" of Phillipines, Cuba, Hawaii etc was a subject of jealousy.

Putin wants to restore Russia(USSR) 'greatness' with territory and is using German/Nazi arguments like "protecting ethnic Russians" to advance his cause (Remember Sudetenland)? He also is arguing Ukraine is not a 'real nation' which echos loosely the sub-human arguments of the Nazis.

Just because one nation doesn't like the diplomatic work of others is NO excuse for a brutal war of expansion on weaker neighbors.