Isolationism

The United States stayed out of World War II until December 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, a major American naval base in Hawaii. The attack killed about 3,000 people.

The experience of World War II (1939-1945) changed American attitudes toward isolationism. The United States recognized that to be safe it needed allies. As a result, the country’s postwar policy was based on international cooperation and collective security. The United States was one of four countries to draft the charter for the United Nations (UN) and one of the UN’s founding members. The push by the Soviet Union to increase its sphere of influence changed U.S. foreign policy even further. United States policymakers tried to curtail Soviet expansion and the influence of communism by giving economic and military aid to other countries. The United States also formed formal military alliances, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), established in 1949.

Although the United States abandoned isolationism as a policy after World War II, isolationist attitudes continue to rise up from time to time. With the end of the Cold War struggle between the United States and Soviet Union in the early 1990s, some Americans were once again calling for the United States to retreat into isolationism. After 40 years of struggle against communism, these Americans favored reducing the role of the United States in foreign affairs. Also, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, some Americans preferred to revert to a more isolationist and more unilateralist approach to the world.

Yet most Americans believe it is not realistic for the country to withdraw from world affairs. Roughly two-thirds of Americans support an “active role” for the United States in global affairs. Furthermore, most Americans continue to support a multilateral approach—as opposed to an isolationist or unilateral approach—in dealing with global issues. Given the importance of American military strength to global stability, the dependence of the economy on international trade, and the forces of globalization that increasingly knit the world together, isolationism appears neither a viable nor desirable policy for the United States. While isolationist attitudes can still be found in American society, they are less likely than in the past to become a dominant policy.