[[File:United States flag in the wind.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Flag of the [[United States]] ]]
[[Isolationism]] means avoiding entanglement in foreign conflicts, particularly foreign wars. It is the opposite of a [https://iep.utm.edu/interven/ interventionalist foreign policy]. I do agree with [[Donald Trump]] that America should not get into "endless wars" that do not serve America's vital interests.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-wars/trump-to-west-point-grads-we-are-ending-the-era-of-endless-wars-idUSKBN23K0PR Trump to West Point grads: 'We are ending the era of endless wars'], ''Reuters'', June 13, 2022</ref> I also agree with Trump's policy of not using the American military to "solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands".<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-wars/trump-to-west-point-grads-we-are-ending-the-era-of-endless-wars-idUSKBN23K0PR Trump to West Point grads: 'We are ending the era of endless wars'], ''Reuters'', June 13, 2022</ref>
Pointless and costly wars such as the [[Iraq War]] and [[War in Afghanistan]] are very expensive. I agree with [[Donald Trump]]'s policy of not using the American military to "solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands".<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-wars/trump-to-west-point-grads-we-are-ending-the-era-of-endless-wars-idUSKBN23K0PR Trump to West Point grads: 'We are ending the era of endless wars'], ''Reuters'', June 13, 2022</ref> '''QuestionQuestions:''' Is [[isolationism]] growing in the United States? If so, is this a good thing or a bad thing?
== Growing trend of Americans favoring a more isolationist foreign policy ==
Recent data shows isolationist beliefs in the United States have increased steadily from 28% of respondents in 2019 to 40% at the end of 2021. A recent report also indicates that prior to 2016, the American National Election Studies – a time series dating back to 1952 – has never found more than 30% of Americans holding isolationist beliefs."<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/16/rising-us-isolationism-means-australia-must-become-more-resilient-and-autonomous-thinktank-warns Rising US isolationism means Australia must become more resilient and autonomous, thinktank warns], The Guardian, 2022</ref> Consider the 2022 [[''The Hill]] '' opinion article ''Republicans are the new isolationists; will US retreat from world stage?'':
{{Cquote|The world is facing the most serious threat of nuclear confrontation since the Cuban missile crisis 60 years ago. At the same time, we’re seeing a growing isolationist movement in the U.S. The Republican Party has been taken over by Donald Trump and his army of right-wing populists.
The [[GOP]] is becoming an isolationist party. It is no longer the party that embraces the bold foreign policy of [[Ronald Reagan]] or the Bushes. By more than two to one, Republicans endorse the view that “We should pay less attention to problems overseas and concentrate on problems here at home.” Only 30 percent of Republicans believe “It is best for the future of our country to be active in world affairs.”<ref>[https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3670801-republicans-are-the-new-isolationists-will-us-retreat-from-world-stage/ Republicans are the new isolationists; will US retreat from world stage?]</ref>}}
[[File:Matt Gaetz, official portrait, 116th Congress.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|[[Matt Gaetz]] ]]
Also: "Their initial data, collected by students conducting individual interviews, surprised Mutz: It found that American adults ages 18-30 tend to favor isolationist foreign policy, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum, when compared with Baby Boomers, aged 60+"...“At least for the last half of the 20th century, Americans 60 and older were more isolationist than younger adults,” says Mutz, the Samuel Stouffer Professor of Communication and Political Science and director of the Institute for the Study of Citizens and Politics at Penn. “But now things have reversed." - [https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/penn-students-research-which-americans-are-most-isolationist-and-it-may-not-be-who-you-think#:~:text=Their%20initial%20data%2C%20collected%20by,Baby%20Boomers%2C%20aged%2060%2B. Penn Students Research Which Americans Are Most Isolationist — and It May Not Be Who You Think]
A 2023 article in the ''[[The Hill]]'' stated:
{{Cquote|A few weeks ago, Rep. [[Matt Gaetz]] introduced an amendment to a defense funding bill prohibiting all military aid to Ukraine. 93 House Republicans voted in favor of the amendment...
Nonetheless, with former President Trump leading the way, an isolationist faction of the Republican party in the House has doubled down on its “just say no” strategy. In July, Trump maintained that if elected again he would instantly bring the conflict to an end:“I would tell Zelensky, no more. You got to make a deal. I would tell Putin, if you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give him a lot … I will have the deal done in one day. One day.” When Vladimir Putin praised this statement, Trump replied, “Well, I like that he said that. Because that means what I’m saying is right.”
The former president also ordered Republicans in Congress to oppose all aid to Ukraine “until the FBI, DOJ, and IRS hand over every scrap of evidence they have on the Biden Crime Family’s corrupt business dealings.” Any lawmaker who does not go along, Trump added, should expect a primary challenge in 2024.<ref>[https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4268543-the-tyranny-of-the-gop-isolationist-minority/ The tyranny of the GOP isolationist minority], The Hill, 2023</ref>}}
As the American [[baby boom]]ers die off and lose power, the USA might become more isolationist.
Of course, isolationism, like anything taken to an extreme, can be a bad thing. The United States should stay engaged in the world - especially when it comes to the use of skillful [[diplomacy]]. At the same time, sometimes wars are unavoidable, but when a nation engages in a war, it should be a just war (See: [[Just War Theory]]).
== United States and the growing trend of onshoring manufacturing ==
A country that can better meet its needs using domestic sources is in a better position to have a less interventionist foreign policy.
The United States is reshoring its supply chains and producing more things domestically for several reasons and this will give it more security from foreign disruptions.<ref>
== USA's abundant natural resources and geographical defenses makes it easier for it to have an isolationist foreign policy than many nations ==
The less a country is dependent on critical natural resources, the better able it is to have a less interventionalist foreign policy.
USA's abundant natural resources. See: [https://www.thebalancemoney.com/how-natural-resources-boost-the-u-s-economy-3306228 U.S. Natural Resources] and [[Essay: The USA is outproducing Russia and Saudi Arabia in oil production. The best is yet to come|The USA is outproducing Russia and Saudi Arabia in oil production. The best is yet to come]]
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[[File:Loc of United States.png|thumb|center|325px|Map of the [[United States]] ]]
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== The USA has a diversified economy which makes it easier to weather external economic shocks. This makes an interventionalist policy less compelling for the United States ==
''See also:'' [[United States and innovation]]
[[File:Countries with the most diverse economies.jpg|thumbnail|1000px|center|The USA was among the most 10 most diverse economies in 2018 according to the Word Atlas website.<ref>[https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-with-the-most-diverse-economies.html#:~:text=Most%20Diverse%20Economies-,Japan,the%20sophistication%20of%20its%20exports. Countries With The Most Diverse Economies]</ref>
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Read the articles: [https://www.amarilloedc.com/blog/the-importance-of-a-diversified-economy#:~:text=A%20diversified%20economy%20creates%20a,the%20growth%20of%20supporting%20industries. The Importance Of A Diversified Economy] and [https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/m1/en/reports/strategyand-resilient-stable-sustainable-benefits-economic-diversification.pdf ''Resilient, stable, sustainable: The benefits of economic diversification'']
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The USA has a diversified economy which makes it easier to weather external economic shocks. This makes an interventionalist policy less compelling for the United States. [[Japan]] and [[Switzerland]] which also have highly diversified economies haven't been at war in many years (But they also have natural geographical defenses like the United States).]]
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"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of they friends`s or of thine own were. Any man`s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind." - [[John Donne]] (1572 - 1631)
=== Why the USA foreign policy needs to should be less interventionalists interventionalist ===
[[File:Osama White House Reactions 4 2 2011.jpg|thumb|[[Osama Bin Laden]]'s death, White House Reactions on 5/2/2011.]]
The [[George W. Bush]] years had the USA engaged in pointless and costly wars in Iraq and [[Afghanistan]]. In addition, it tried to engage in nation-building in cultures with cultures much different from the West without even gaining substantial control of the countries. The denazification of Germany post [[WWII]] and the [https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/japan-reconstruction USA Occupation and Reconstruction of Japan, 1945–52] occurred in countries that lost their wars. Furthermore, General [[Douglas MacArthur]], was very diplomatic towards the Japanese and the Japan public respected him (See: [https://scholarworks.uno.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=honors_theses#:~:text=The%20Japanese%20people%20did%20not,war%2C%20poverty%2C%20and%20despair. American Shogun: Reasons Why the Japanese were Fascinated with General MacArthur]).
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC5Gkox-1QY Professor Antony Davies: Taxing the Rich Will NOT Fix The Deficit]
The main reason I believe that the USA will be the preeminent power in the 21st century is other countries have even bigger problems than the USA as can be seen below. In addition, innovation and technology will be very important in the 21st century and the USA has a population that has a strong track record of innovation.
Hopefully, a future economic depression and political polarization will not cause the United States to break up in the 21st century.
For more information, please see: [[Essay: The USA can reduce its national debt. It has done it before|the USA can reduce its national debt. It has done it before]]
[[File:Sun Tzu portrait.jpg|thumbnail|center|300px|"There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare." - [[Sun Tzu]], Chinese general and reknowned military strategist ]]
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== How long do post WWII wars last? Some statistics. ==
[[Georgetown University]]'s Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a [[bipartisan]], nonprofit policy research organization & think tank analyzing global issues.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies article ''How Does It End? What Past Wars Tell Us about How to Save Ukraine''
{{Cquote|Analyzing data compiled by the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) on conflict termination since 1946, 26 percent of interstate wars like Ukraine end in less than 30 days and another 25 percent end in less than a year. Wars that end within a month last on average eight days, and 44 percent end in a ceasefire or peace agreement. Of wars that last over a month but less than a year, only 24 percent end in a ceasefire. When interstate wars last longer than a year, they extend to over a decade on average, resulting in sporadic clashes.<ref>[https://www.csis.org/analysis/how-does-it-end-what-past-wars-tell-us-about-how-save-ukraine#:~:text=Wars%20that%20end%20within%20a,average%2C%20resulting%20in%20sporadic%20clashes. How Does It End? What Past Wars Tell Us about How to Save Ukraine], 2022, Center for Strategic and International Studies website </ref>}}
[[File:Georgetown 2.jpg|thumbnail|center|300px|[[Georgetown University]]'s Center for Strategic and International Studies indicates that most wars lasting over a year extend to over a decade on average, resulting in sporadic clashes.<ref>[https://www.csis.org/analysis/how-does-it-end-what-past-wars-tell-us-about-how-save-ukraine#:~:text=Wars%20that%20end%20within%20a,average%2C%20resulting%20in%20sporadic%20clashes. How Does It End? What Past Wars Tell Us about How to Save Ukraine], 2022, Center for Strategic and International Studies website </ref>]]
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== Negative effects of wars. Frequency and magnitude of wars from 1946 to 2017 ==
Economic:
*[https://www.cato.org/cato-journal/winter-2020/effect-war-economic-growth The Effect of War on Economic Growth] (Also, frequency and magnitude of wars from 1946 to 2017)
*[https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/economic-consequences-war The economic consequences of war]
Social:
Domestic violence and other violence increases in countries engaging in war. "Studies have shown that domestic violence—which disproportionately affects women—increases during and after war as stress levels rise, families are displaced, and traumatized combatants return home. This can lead to physical, psychological and sexual violence erupting inside the home."<ref>[https://time.com/6261977/ukraine-women-domestic-violence/ Ukraine women, domestic violence and the war in Ukraine], Time magazine</ref> See also: [[Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder]]
== Business is more powerful than military might. All REAL Americans know this! ==
See: [[Essay: Business is more powerful than military might. All REAL Americans know this!|Business is more powerful than military might. All REAL Americans know this!]]
== Other essays: The United States ==
*[[Essay: The U.S. Navy is the most powerful navy in the world|The U.S. Navy is the most powerful navy in the world]]
*[[Essay: Gold reserves by country. The USA is still golden!|Gold reserves by country. The USA is still golden!]]
== User:Conservative's essays ==
*[[User:Conservative's essays]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category: Essays]]
[[Category: United States]]