Prior to WWI, America went through a period of isolationism, and enjoyed tremendous prosperity trading within our own hemisphere, and avoiding conflict. When repressive totalitarianism threatened our allies in Europe, we got involved, and sent thousands of our boys to die, defending European homelands. Following WWI, we again embarked on a period of isolationism, preferring to leave world affairs to others, and keep our nose out of their business. Again, we prospered until the Great Depression, but we still felt it best we remain isolationist with regard to foreign affairs. Even when Hitler began to threaten Europe with totalitarianism again, we remained resolved to stay out of it until Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan. At that point, we realized we could no longer turn a blind eye to the problems of the world, and we got involved again, sending thousands to die again for a free Europe.
Following WWII, we helped to establish the United Nations, as a means to help monitor problems around the world in a diplomatic and democratic manner. This once again enabled us to embark on a period of isolationism, until Communism threatened Southeast Asia. Once again, we sent thousands of our boys to die for the freedom of others in Korea and then in Vietnam. After years of war, we decided it wasn't worth the effort and we abandoned the fight. Since then we have tried to remain isolationist and let the UN sort the affairs, and that hasn't worked. Radical Islam rose up in the late 70s, and on 9/11/01, we were once again attacked.
As much as the US has attempted to be isolationists, and stay out of other people's business, we've ultimately never been able to. The result is always the same, totalitarian regimes rise to power and begin trampling freedom, greasing the treads of their war machines with the dead bodies of innocent people, committing atrocious acts of genocide and terrorism on people who's only crime was to exist. Now we have enemies with nuclear weapons, and a nuclear armageddon is possible. At stake, are potentially MILLIONS of lives instead of thousands. Some of us are ignorant of history and are like infants trying to comprehend world affairs. To these people, it seems rational and plausible that we could be isolationists, and things would be great and wonderful. We've OFTEN thought this in the past, and it has never worked out. When we look at the anatomy of a totalitarian regime, we find an interesting common thread, Europe always seems to play it off as not a big deal, nothing to worry about, and in some cases, even endorses and embraces as "the way of the future" before dead bodies start piling up in mass graves and such.
So you ask, should we be isolationists again? ...If only we could! I would give anything to be able to do this, but my knowledge and understanding of the world and history, tells me this is not a possible reality for us long term, and the more we attempt it, the greater the number of our soldiers lives that will ultimately have to be sacrificed to bring order again. Therefore, I have a "FUCK YOU" philosophy when it comes to our involvement in world affairs. You don't "like" what we do, fine... stop us! We're gonna do it, because we don't have any other real choice in the matter. Isolationism doesn't work for very long. It's better that we have our nose stuck in everyone's business and ready to act whenever needed, to put down tyrants and dictators who seek to aggressively trample freedom. If you want some other arrangement, convince the tyrants and totalitarians of the world to adopt democracy and freedom for the people, then we won't have this problem and it won't matter that we are involved in things.
