Search

the policy or doctrine of isolating one’s country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one’s country to its own advancement and remain at peace by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities.
Contemporary Examples

Paul, by talking up his isolationism, would goad Romney into sounding like Dick Cheney.
Michael Tomasky: Why Iowa Is Mitt Romney’s Do-or-Die Moment Michael Tomasky January 1, 2012

The answer lies in the intersection of isolationism and war.
The New McCarthyism Peter Beinart September 11, 2010

So how does he end up with the leader of American isolationism?
Is Rand Paul a Secret Hawk? Or Maybe Not a Total Dove? James Kirchick May 8, 2014

Cheney tacitly bashed Paul last month, saying an “increasing strain of isolationism” is taking over their party.
Will Rand Paul’s Unorthodox Foreign Policy Fit in the GOP? Kristen Soltis Anderson April 8, 2014

The cold war lasted half a century, but isolationism never left the conservative DNA.
Peter Beinart: How Ron Paul Will Change the GOP in 2012 Peter Beinart December 26, 2011

Yet American minimalism, isolationism, realism, mind-our-own-business-ism—whatever you want to call it—is cyclical.
Rand Paul vs. the Real World James Kirchick September 9, 2014

Historical Examples

We have made it equally dear that we will not retreat to isolationism.
State of the Union Addresses of Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman

Perfectionism, no less than isolationism or imperialism or power politics, may obstruct the paths to international peace.
State of the Union Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt

isolationism would not only tie our hands in fighting enemies, it would keep us from helping our friends in desperate need.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006 Various

This is a fact: Strength in the pursuit of peace is no vice; isolationism in the pursuit of security is no virtue.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006 Various

noun
a policy of nonparticipation in or withdrawal from international affairs
an attitude favouring such a policy

The doctrine that a nation should stay out of the disputes and affairs of other nations. The United States practiced a policy of isolationism until World War I and did not pursue an active international policy until after World War II. (See “entangling alliances with none.”)