Isolationism: A History of America's Efforts to Shield Itself from the World

by Charles A. Kupchan

Overview

The first book to tell the full story of American isolationism, from the founding era through the Trump presidency.

In his Farewell Address of 1796, President George Washington admonished the young nation "to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world." Isolationism thereafter became one of the most influential political trends in American history. From the founding era until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States shunned strategic commitments abroad, making only brief detours during the Spanish-American War and World War I. Amid World War II and the Cold War, Americans abandoned isolationism; they tried to run the world rather than run away from it. But isolationism is making a comeback as Americans tire of foreign entanglement. In this definitive and magisterial analysis-the first book to tell the fascinating story of isolationism across the arc of American history-Charles Kupchan explores the enduring connection between the isolationist impulse and the American experience. He also refurbishes isolationism's reputation, arguing that it constituted dangerous delusion during the 1930s, but afforded the nation clear strategic advantages during its ascent.

Kupchan traces isolationism's staying power to the ideology of American exceptionalism. Strategic detachment from the outside world was to protect the nation's unique experiment in liberty, which America would then share with others through the power of example. Since 1941, the United States has taken a much more interventionist approach to changing the world. But it has overreached, prompting Americans to rediscover the allure of nonentanglement and an America First foreign policy. The United States is hardly destined to return to isolationism, yet a strategic pullback is inevitable. Americans now need to find the middle ground between doing too much and doing too little.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197642610
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/23/2022
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	9.25(w) x 6.13(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

Dr. Charles A. Kupchan is Professor of International Affairs in the School of Foreign Service and Government Department at Georgetown University, and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Dr. Charles A. Kupchan is Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. From 2014-2017 Kupchan served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs on the National Security Council in the Obama White House. He was Director for European Affairs on the NSC during the first Clinton administration. Prior, he worked in the U.S. Department of State on the Policy Planning Staff. Kupchan has served as a visiting scholar at Harvard University's Center for International Affairs, Columbia University's Institute for War and Peace Studies, and other renowned institutions. He was a Henry A. Kissinger Scholar at the Library of Congress, a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a Senior Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy, and a recipient of the Hubert H. Humphrey Award for notable public service by a political scientist.

Table of Contents

Preface

1. American Isolationism: Past as Prelude?
2. An Anatomy of Isolationism

Part I - The Era of Isolationism, 1789-1898

3. The Revolutionary Era: Contemplating Nonentanglement
4. From the French Revolution to the War of 1812: Isolationism as Doctrine
5. Westward Expansion and the Monroe Doctrine: The Limits of Hemispheric Ambition
6. The Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Rise of American Power: Restraint Amid Ascent

Part II - The Defeat of Realist and Idealist Internationalism, 1898-1941

7. The Spanish-American War and the Onset of Imperial Ambition
8. Republican Imperialism and the Isolationist Backlash
9. Wilsonian Idealism and the Isolationist Backlash
10. The 1920s: Influence without Responsibility
11. From the Great Depression to Pearl Harbor: Delusions of Strategic Immunity

Part III - The Rise and Fall of Liberal Internationalism, 1941-2020

12. World War II and the Cold War: The Era of Liberal Internationalism
13. The End of the Cold War and the Isolationist Comeback
14. Between Isolationism and Liberal Internationalism: The Search for a Middle Ground

Editorial Reviews

08/17/2020

Kupchan (The End of the American Era), a professor of international relations at Georgetown University, offers an erudite and evenhanded study of the isolationist impulse in American foreign policy. Beginning with President George Washington’s 1796 farewell address advising the nation to steer clear of foreign entanglements, the idea of maintaining American independence served the country well during its economic ascent, according to Kupchan. He links “isolationist logic” to the notion of American exceptionalism and explains how the subjugation of Native Americans and the seizure of lands from Mexico in the 19th century was seen not as expansionism, but as the fulfillment of America’s “messianic mission.” Despite U.S. involvement in WWI, isolationism only fell out of favor after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Kupchan writes, and the U.S. has since overextended itself in foreign wars and alliances, sowing discord at home and abroad. Talk of “America First” has reemerged in the Trump era, but Kupchan disagrees with those who want to pull the U.S. out of “major strategic positions around the world,” arguing instead for “selective engagement and judicious retrenchment.” He marshals a wealth of evidence to support his arguments and ranges confidently across more than 200 years of American history. Policy makers and foreign affairs scholars will want to take note. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"In this excellent account, Kupchan, a former policy maker, traces the history of American foreign policy from the French and Indian War to the Trump presidency, organizing his work around the nation's isolationist tradition." — J. D. Doenecke, CHOICE

"...so comprehensive. It goes through the entire American history of foreign policy through the lens of isolationism. It's such an impressive work." — Justin Kempf, Democracy Paradox

"With this well-written and interesting book on a traditionally important subject isolationism in American history and as an ongoing issue Prof. Kupchan has made a significant contribution to the literature on international affairs." — Alexander J. Groth, Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs

"Comprehensive and objective, Kupchan's Isolationism is a useful contribution to the history and contemporary understanding of American isolationism." —Henry Kissinger, former United States Secretary of State

"Isolationism is a carefully researched, clearly presented study of American foreign policy that demonstrates the enduring power of American skepticism about open-ended International commitments while making the case for continued American engagement. By grounding his policy arguments in a careful review of American history, Kupchan not only strengthens his case but sets an example which other policymakers would be wise to follow." —Walter Russell Mead, Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship, Hudson Institute; Professor of Foreign Affairs, Bard College; and Global View Columnist, The Wall Street Journal

"This is a significant book. Kupchan has produced the first comprehensive study of American isolationism. He is totally fair-minded and unfailingly insightful in telling the story of isolationism from its origins at the founding of the Republic down to its resurgence at the outset of this new century. This is a book that everyone who cares about the past and present of American foreign policy should read." —John M. Cooper, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"At a time when the way forward in US foreign relations seems more uncertain than ever, Kupchan takes a timely, detailed, and unsparing look at the role of isolationism in the broad sweep of US history. The general reader, scholar, and policymaker can all profit from this compelling account." —Mary E. Sarotte, author of The Collapse

"The battle for the future of America's foreign policy rages all around us. This learned, wise, and deeply engaged history of US isolationist impulses from the founding up to today is a much-needed book, and the selective commitments and judicious retrenchments it calls for are recipes for good policymaking." —Odd Arne Westad, Professor of History and Global Affairs, Yale University; author of The Cold War: A World History

"At a time when many are urging America to retreat internationally, Kupchan's illuminating history of US foreign policy reminds us of isolationism's pitfalls as well as its continuing allure. Scholars and policy makers alike will benefit from this book's trenchant analysis of America's past and wise counsel about how to forge a more balanced, realistic, and enduring foreign policy going forward." —Peter Trubowitz, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics

"Charles Kupchan reminds us that a globally assertive foreign policy is more the exception than the norm in American history. Even those who do not fully agree with his arguments will find this book sharply argued, provocative, and engaging." —Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

"In this timely, judicious, and thoughtful book, Kupchan adds depth and dimension to our understanding of the United States' foreign relations and the strategic choices now facing it. In tracing isolationism's origins to the earliest days of the Republic and showing its iterations in successive generations, he reminds us of how powerful a force it has been — and remains. Essential reading both for those who are going to be in charge in the next years and for anyone who cares about the US and the world." —Margaret MacMillan, Professor of History, University of Toronto

"Astute political history." —Kirkus

"An erudite and evenhanded study of the isolationist impulse in American foreign policy." —Publishers Weekly

"Isolationism is a deeply researched, fascinating look at how an urge to keep the world at bay has largely defined the United States and its foreign policy since the country's founding."—Foreign Policy

"[A] valuable volume... compellingly demonstrates that the notion of American exceptionalism was as closely tied to isolationism-the 'city on a hill,' standing above and apart from a quarrelsome world-as it later would be to the country's postwar internationalism."—Foreign Affairs

"Isolationism arrives at a prescient moment."—Financial Times

"Isolationism has many merits. It comprehensively describes the arc of American diplomatic history from George Washington's 'Farewell Address' to Donald Trump's redux of 'America First.' It is also eminently fair-minded, not only to the liberal internationalists and deep engagers whom Kupchan thinks have set America up for our post-Cold War fall but especially to the alternative grand strategic tradition that Kupchan fears has gotten a bad rap since World War II."—Michael C. Desch, American Conservative

"It is only now, with this book, that someone has treated the full scope of isolationism with true insight and understanding. Charles Kupchan has told for the first time the entire history of this foreign policy phenomenon from its inception at the founding of the American republic down to the present time." — H-Diplo

"Taken in all, Kupchan has produced a first-rate account. The style is readable, the research thorough, manifesting a superior mastery of primary sources and the scholarly literature. By and large, Kupchan's treatment is masterful, essential reading for policymakers and a public that is prone to cliché thinking. Professors of American diplomatic history would do well to assign this work; at the very least, they should update their lecture notes. Hopefully, this work will force Americans to leave the world of polemics for that of reflection and responsible analysis." — H-Diplo

From the Publisher

2020-07-07
Isolationism, long in the doghouse, gets a reprieve.

Enshrined by George Washington’s iconic farewell address, isolationism enjoyed a long and dignified history until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. For the remainder of the 20th century, “isolationist” became a synonym for “simpleton.” Then, seemingly overnight, “America First,” the rallying cry of a disgraced 1930s anti-war movement, became a campaign slogan and helped elect the current president. Kupchan, professor of international affairs at Georgetown, writes that isolationism dominated American foreign relations until 1898, when the country dipped a toe in internationalism. President William McKinley’s realistic version in the Spanish-American War was too much about projecting power. Woodrow Wilson’s idealistic internationalism was too much about spreading freedom. However, unlike the unhappy post-mortem after 1918, Americans emerged from World War II with a surge of national confidence in what seemed like an ideal combination of both realism and idealism. Galvanized by anti-communism, both political parties embraced what Kupchan calls liberal internationalism: projecting power throughout the world but aiming at preserving democratic ideals. He maintains that, despite glitches, America performed tolerably at leading the “free world” until the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, after which the U.S. lost its sense of proportion. What Kupchan terms “overreach” led to “188 military interventions, a four-fold increase over the Cold War era” that included multitrillion dollar debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan. Barack Obama’s 2008 election introduced “liberal internationalism lite,” which encouraged American allies to share the burden, but this failed to obtain bipartisan support. The author concludes that isolationism was growing well before the 2016 election. America can never withdraw to the solitude it enjoyed during the 19th century, but there’s no denying that the modern version is a movement whose time has come. Histories of ideas are often boring, but Kupchan writes well and only occasionally falls into the academic mode, mostly when he delivers an opinion and then follows it with a quote from another scholar who backs him up.

Astute political history.

Kirkus Reviews