Isolationism is a national policy of avoiding political or economic entanglements with other countries. It advocates neutrality and opposes involvement in the political affairs and wars of other countries, as well as military alliances and mutual defense pacts. In its purest form, isolationism opposes all commitments to foreign countries, including treaties and trade agreements. Isolationism has been a recurrent theme in U.S. history, with notable expressions in the Farewell Address of President George Washington and the Monroe Doctrine in the early 19th century. It was particularly prominent in the 1930s, as a response to the combination of the Great Depression and the memory of tragic losses in World War I, leading to non-involvement in European and Asian conflicts and non-entanglement in international politics.
Isolationism has been criticized for the lack of aiding nations with major troubles, and it has been contrasted with philosophies such as colonialism, expansionism, and liberal internationalism. American isolationism, in particular, has been described as a "tragedy" inspired by Puritanism.
Isolationism has been a subject of scholarly interest, with some scholars disputing the claim that the United States has an isolationist history, instead describing it as following a strategy of unilateralism or non-interventionism rather than a strategy of isolationism.
American isolationism rested on six distinct, but interlocking, logics: capitalizing on natural security, serving as a redeemer nation, advancing liberty, and others.
