Is the United States Headed for an Isolationist Foreign Policy?

The United States, like it or not is one of the most powerful countries on the face of the earth today. Ever since World War II, the United States has had a foreign policy that has engaged enemies, allies, and even neutral parties to advance the agenda of the United States. However, if you look a little further back into the history of the United States, a steady influence of isolationism can be seen throughout.

Because of the vast seas that border both the eastern and western states of the country, as well as its vast internal resources, the United States could function very well on its own for much of its history. This self reliance leads a good majority of the people to think prior to involvement in the world worlds that the United States should not get involved in the affairs of the world, and especially the European community. From the country's conception, the idea of operating without the influence of foreign countries has always been an underlying influence in every aspect of how this country is run.

However, after World War II, the United States and its government began to realize that to truly protect its citizens, as well as its interests, a more global, more multilateral approach must be considered. With the advent of nuclear capabilities, threats that could arise could truly only be combated through international cooperation. So to this end, a number of treaties were signed and honored, and agreements with other countries were made.

For a number of years, there existed an uneasy alliance between the various foreign powers and the United States. There should be no illusion that everything was in line with the presented sense of peace and prosperity; the relationships between countries underwent strain, grew and changed. Allies became enemies, and enemies became unlikely bedfellows. Overall, though, there was an underlying knowledge that the good of the country was largely dependant on the good of the world.