Isolationism basically means a country keeps to itself and avoids foreign affairs as best as it can. For the past century or so America’s been pretty involved in world affairs to the cheers and dismay of many.

Where do you stand on this?

50 comments

  3. We’re way more involved than we need to be, and it benefits ungrateful European nations and the military industrial complex a lot more than it does the average American.

  4. Unrealistic. I don’t like that the US is continually meddling in world affairs (for the sake of ~~needed resources~~ freedom!), but we are part of the world and need to participate in it.

  5. I don’t think it’s possible in todays world. Leaving a power vacuum like that would be very dangerous

  6. I have read world history. If we could leave those idiots to their own devices we would. However they keep dragging us in so now it’s just easier to get between them and their own nature. Despite me wanting to watch the world burn in it’s own arrogance and stupidity, while it ironically declares us guilty of the same, we just can’t let them do that anymore.

  7. Ridiculous. The free, progressive countries of the world have to stick together against the scourges of authoritarianism and religious conservatism. Our enemies aren’t isolationists.

  8. It’s the ideal but it’s an unworkable ideal.

    You can’t close yourself off from the world *and* remain a superpower with a political, economic, and cultural hegemony. That doesn’t work. And the power vacuum we’d leave behind by stepping off the stage and turning inward *would* be filled.

    The unfortunate reality is that what happens over there, wherever “there” may be, *does* matter over here.

  9. I think American isolationism would allow more global instability. But I also wish that the European Union would get its stuff together and take the lead on European issues.

    I also wish the UN would be modernized. At a minimum, there needs to be a process where the general assembly can override a veto from a permanent member of the security council. And it would be nice if the UN would have the ability to do more than just condemn genocide.

  10. The smaller the country is, the easier for them to be isolationist. By small, I don’t mean just population and land size, but also GDP & other measures of strength / influence.

    It is extremely hard for a country the “size” of USA to embrace isolationism.

  11. Despite the rhetoric we like to tell ourselves, the US has NEVER had an isolationist foreign policy.

    If we were to try to attempt one today I don’t really see any benefit to it and I don’t even think it would be possible from a practical standpoint.

  13. The world is too interconnected for isolationism to be achievable, even if it were desirable.

  17. If we don’t flop our dick on the table and tell everyone else what to do, someone else will, so it might as well be us.

  19. Well if it weren’t for US internationalism Putin would have been giving a victory speech in Kiev back in March.

    I’d be thrilled to drastically cut military spending and foreign aid, but not going full turtle. Any area we pull out of China is going to walk in and take our place.

  21. It was questionable when it was popular 100 years ago. The world has changed a lot since then. Society and the economy is more globalized than it has ever been and only shows signs of continuing to grow in that direction. To support isolationism now is lunacy.

  23. Not a good idea in the 21st century.

    However, I don’t like that more money isn’t allocated towards fixing domestic issues like healthcare and education. And countries with better healthcare and education are benefitting from American presence. The world isn’t fair I guess.

  24. I reckon it’s a relic of a bygone, pre globalization era. At least for any developed nation, or any nation that aspires to greater heights.

  25. We should butt out a lot more than we do. We should pull the 50 bil we send to foreign countries regularly, pull our military back and recover a lot of our independence and let others do the same.

  26. For a country like the US, it’s not sustainable. There’s a balance that can be struck between looking out for your own self interests and abroad and focusing on your own country. The goal to very clearly define what your national goals are and stick to them, and not keep getting sucked into every issue and conflict as the global marriage counselor.

  29. Ask anyone who lived behind the Iron Curtain what isolationism does for enterprise, culture, and lifestyle. Isolationism at any level robs you of being able to compete on the world stage.

  30. Isolationism for the US would be bad for the entire world. As a global super power and one that (supposedly) wants to promote democracy, individual freedom, etc. we need to remain involved globally.

  32. So this is coming from a dude thats still in school. I don’t like the U.S. being abroad. Now i understand that we have certain commitments abroad and whatever but we must pivot to Asia and leave Europe. Im at the prime age for military recruiters to hit me up and so i don’t want to be sent to protect europeans when they can do it themselves. Now im not against helping Eastern Europe but im against helping western Europe. They dragged us into Libya and now everyone seems to think we did libya

  33. An idiotic policy that would destroy American prosperity and influence in the world, and cede control of the planet to countries like China.

    That does not mean *every* American action on the global stage has been a smart one, however.

  34. Just like too many involvements in world affairs can be risky, too little involvement is also unrealistic in today’s world. There is so much interconnectedness that at least some amount of internationalism is necessary.

  35. I’d be down for it if everyone agreed upon it.

    By that, I mean, the Euros are willing to build up their armies and slaughter themselves in a way that makes the Middle-East blush.

    Various powers in the Islamic world would acquire nuclear weapons and facilitate terrorism.

    A return to actual Imperialism and annexation as great powers seek to secure resources, military alliances, trade routes to ensure their nation and people survive.

    If we’re okay with that world, if we’re okay with Napoleons/Hitlers/Stalins/Genghis Khans, if we’re okay with plundering the third world, if we’re okay with millions dying to war every few years….I am 100% fine and can live with it.

    The question is…can the self-righteous and arrogant people in the West live with it?

    I doubt it.

  36. It seems ridiculous to be isolationist when you’re one of the world’s top powers, if not the top, and the global economy depends on our involvement.

  37. The world is better of with America effectively acting as the leader.

    No other country in history has had so much power, and trampled on on other country’s rights and sovereignty less than the US has. Yes, we have a wide military presence around the world, but any other world power on our level throughout history would have just taken over and ruled.

    By and large, we provide a stable environment for western society to operate.

  38. No longer an option. The genie is already out of the bottle, and well i’d like to see us take a step back from foreign affairs, are allies are not up to par to take on the likes of Russia and China.

  39. It benefited the US after the Civil War to rebuild and focus on itself, but as the world “got bigger” it became unrealistic and foolhardy to continue that path.

  40. Isolationism *can* make sense in some circumstances and countries. However, America (barring some *insanely* improbable changes in global politics) cannot practice isolationism. We have been so involved in the politics and economy of the globe that we really can’t back out.

  41. The biggest challenges in the world (climate change, pandemics, nuclear proliferation, etc) all require global solutions and global cooperation, and as it currently stands, American leadership. That’s a separate question from “When is American military intervention actually helpful?”

  42. I think it’s very bad. Free trade is good for both sides of the equation. And the world isn’t going away just because we turn our backs on it. People may complain about America as “world police” but I promise that having China and Russia as the world police would be so much worse

  43. It’s a stupid ivory tower ideology. Problems in the outside world never stay that way. They affect things at home. If you want control over your own destiny you can’t sit on the sidelines or you will have the terms dictated to you.

  44. I think it would be cool. America is a young country and doesn’t have a “culture” in the same sense of many other countries. Of course nobody would go for it and everyone would riot or move to Canada, but I think it would be nifty on the domestic side of things. Not so much for people who rely on the US.

  45. While I don’t believe in isolationism, I do think as a country we should try and scale back our military presence on a world scale. Just enough so we can focus on problems happening at home and our Ally’s

  46. I think there’s a big difference between isolationism and non-interventionism.

    Isolationism to me means that a country is literally isolated from the entire world politically, militarily and economically.

    Non-interventionism to me means that a country just minds its own business from a military point of view and I personally prefer this. I am and have been for quite some time, a Ron Paul fan and I share his views on war.

  47. Isolationism made sense when we were a nascent country in the age of empires. Now it doesn’t make a lick of sense.

    I’m no cheerleader for American military escapades abroad, which can certainly have catastrophic consequences, but I think we should use our power and influence to strengthen international institutions, forge alliances, and advance coordinated global action on issues vital to human flourishing (eg food security, climate change, nuclear proliferation).

  48. It’s very difficult to keep to ourselves. Eventually it rolls up to your doorstep. US used to be isolationist, but we eventually got roped into major world events anyways.

    That said, my preference is to be as hands off as possible when it comes to negative actions (sanctions, wars, etc) and very hands on with cooperation.

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