Isolationism

Isolationism is a policy of limiting a country’s political and military involvement in affairs beyond its borders. It can include avoiding alliances, foreign wars, and international commitments.

United States foreign policy: The principles and actions guiding the United States’ relations with other countries. U.S. isolationism was a recurring approach within a broader foreign-policy tradition.
Internationalism: A foreign-policy outlook favoring active cooperation and engagement among countries. It favors sustained international involvement where isolationism seeks to restrict it.
George Washington: The first president of the United States and commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. His Farewell Address gave early U.S. opposition to permanent alliances its most influential statement.
United States Senate rejection of the Treaty of Versailles: The U.S. Senate’s 1919–1920 refusal to ratify the Treaty of Versailles. It kept the United States outside the League of Nations and embodied resistance to binding commitments.
American exceptionalism: The belief that the United States has a distinctive national character, mission, or historical role. Claims of national distinctiveness have supported both withdrawal from foreign entanglements and global leadership.
Washington’s Farewell Address: George Washington’s 1796 public letter advising the United States to avoid permanent foreign alliances. Its warning against permanent alliances became an enduring reference for American isolationism.
Non-interventionism: A policy of avoiding intervention in other countries’ affairs, especially through force. It can oppose military intervention while still supporting trade, diplomacy, and alliances.
John Quincy Adams: The sixth U.S. president and a leading diplomat who served as secretary of state. His 1821 address argued that the United States should avoid seeking foreign dominion and glory.
Attack on Pearl Harbor: A Japanese military strike on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The attack rapidly ended the political viability of staying out of World War II.
National sovereignty: A state’s authority to govern itself without external control. Isolationist arguments often treat foreign commitments as constraints on sovereign decision-making.

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