The Japanese truly believed that America was going to attack them, so out of paranoia, they decided to attack first. Pearl Harbor had the airrafts and ships that would be used in war, so it was a perfect target for them because it would give them more time to prepare themselves against America. Unfortunetly for Japan, America was able to mass produce its aircrafts and ships and managed to quickly replace all the damaged vehicles.
I hope this helps.
George Washington for days
It was "mountain ranges in the north and west" that helped India develop for thousands of years in this way, since these mountains were very hard to cross with large armies.
The choice that was not a factor is America gained European territory after the war and was able to export products to Europe and Africa without economic barriers. America in fact sent much aid to European nations under the Marshal Plan to help rebuild european countries.
