Pros And Cons Of American Isolationism

America has a problem. The United States believes that it is necessary to intervene in foreign affairs. From the formation of the United States to the first World War, isolationism (the government’s refusal to participate in international affairs) was the criteria for foreign policy. When the United States entered the First World War, decades of isolationism were traded for interventionism (the government’s willing involvement in international affairs). This brief moment of interventionism was followed by a senate-backed period of isolationism (Thompson). The last straw for American isolationism was the Pearl Harbor bombing by the Japanese. That was the start of American interventionism, as the United States was involved in every major international

As Wall, a professor at Notre Dame of the time, is pointing out the pros and cons of protective military interventionism, she points out a principle America follows: responsibility to protect. “When governments are unable to protect their citizens, or are actively terrorizing their own people and committing mass murder, the international community has a responsibility to step in and help those who are victimized” (Wall). Because of America’s position as a world leader, it does, more or less, have a responsibility to protect the people of the world. However, to say that military interventionism, America’s most common form of interventionism, will protect people is to say that one can collect a pint of water in a strainer. There are too many holes in bringing in the military, such as the opposition becoming more violent with the people or a conflict between the countries starting. Instead, providing resources and allowing for easier immigration will not only benefit the people, but it will also allow the United States to not fully intervene, protect people, and acknowledge the will of its people. In light of the United States’ status, it does have the responsibility to protect, but there are different ways to protect without military intervention. Allowing easier immigration and providing resources are ways to fulfill their duty and respect the wishes of their