Is America turning isolationist?

Take a look at this Pew poll. It shows record high responses to the idea that we should mind our own business. But look at the time chart. Previously, those views peaked just after our ignominious withdrawal from Vietnam and from Somalia. Isolationist views dropped just after the 9/11 attacks and have generally risen since.  I think this reflects war weariness and economic insecurity. It may continue, but it could also be reversed -- by threatening conditions overseas or by political leadership for engagement, not just by the president but by the political elites that now find it easier to be populist and isolationist.

December 3, 2013

Public Sees U.S. Power Declining as Support for Global Engagement Slips

Majority Says U.S. Should ‘Mind Its Own Business Internationally’