United States Foreign Policy : Internationalism Vs Isolationism

The United States is known for using its power to influence and shape the global community. A lot of people believe that the US should only focus on its domestic issues and it should not have any sort of influence outside its boundaries.

We no longer live in a world where countries are truly separated by the physical boundaries. In the era of globalization and technology, it is impossible to not influence or get influenced by the communities outside the boundaries.

 
 

Internationalism

 
Internationalism leads to increased economic and political cooperation and the formation of alliances. Alliances help the nations to attain economic stability, advance technologically and get support during the times of natural calamities. Alliances also prevent a lot of wars from occurring as the solutions are provided to eliminate the cause of the war.

 
 

Interventionism

 
Foreign policy, however, does not always work as intended and it can lead to bitter rivalries between the nations. Not every problem has an international solution and intervention can create tensions between the countries. A nation's primary responsibility is the welfare of its own citizens and not to intervene in the policies of the other nations.

 
 

Isolationism

 
Isolationism cannot work in the modern era as every nation is dependent on several other nations for the resources and economic welfare. To serve its own citizens, every country has to be proactive in the International politics.

 
 

Foreign Affairs

 
If the US stops spending its resources in fighting the wars in foreign lands for the international causes, it can focus on strengthening its defense and protect its own boundaries more efficiently.

There are a number of global issues that cannot be resolved with the armies or modern weaponry. For instance, armies cannot prevent the climate change, epidemics, and trade. To take care of these issues, US has to cooperate with the other nations and cannot imagine staying prosperous in isolation.

 
 

Objection To Interventionism

 
The United States' intervention in the foreign affairs is seen as a threat to the sovereignty of many different nations. For instance, terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda object to the presence of American troops in the Islamic nations.

However, interventionism is necessary for the security of the United States. It is unrealistic to expect that the terrorist groups will cease to exist if the United States stops intervening outside its boundaries. Intervention is necessary to eliminate the root cause of the threat posed by terrorist groups. Their aim is not just to send the US troops away from the Islamic countries but the destruction of the United States.

 
 

Final Words

The United States spends the largest amount of money in the world on military and it probably does not need any allies to protect itself. However, the US also needs the allies to get the local support, political influence, and a more efficient intelligence.

The global trade and dependency on the other nations for the resources do not allow the US to function on its own. However, intervening too much into the policies of the other nations creates a threat to their sovereignty. That's why a number of international groups like BRICS exist to keep a check on the US's influence on the global community.