One of the world’s most famous actresses came to Washington last week to promote her latest movie. But in more than half an hour of conversation, Angelina Jolie didn’t once touch on any tabloid topics. One word repeatedly came up: “intervention.”

The actress wasn’t talking about getting a troubled colleague into rehab. She meant it in the political sense, and she repeated it because she believes the United States, and the international community, should be intervening sooner — and more often — in ugly conflicts around the world.