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.

If one was to look at the foreign policy of the United States over this past decade, however, one would see the influence of the isolationist agenda once again. Treaties that were previously a very important part of the foreign policy of the United States were no longer honored. New treaties, such as the Kyoto Protocol, were never truly considered, even though the United States had a major influence on the success.

Countries that previously represented uneasy bedfellows in the past, such as Iran, Iraq and Syria were quickly called out as enemies, most notably by President Bush. The foreign policy of the United States, and therefore the impression given to the rest of the world was one of a brash young teenager marking his territory.

And yet, despite this perceived arrogance and bravado presented to the world, certain countries made the hard decision to remain friends and allies of the United States. Whether they did it for their own benefit, or because they understood that the government would eventually change, only those countries can say.

Right now, the United States stands at a true crossroads, one of the few instances where there is a choice between two different paths. It is true that the United States could exist and function without the help and friendship of other countries, but it is not true that our lives would be better for it. If the idea of isolationism takes a firm hold of the governmental policies, the United States will most likely lose in the long run. Although something happening in a far off foreign land doesn't seem to have an immediate effect. It does effect our lives, albeit indirectly. If it can affect our lives, I personally would want an influence. This means that for better or worse, our country should be a part of the global community.