American Isolationism on a Global Scale

Since Sep 11th, American isolationism is the political strategy en-vogue. Today, Brazil is complaining about our policy to fingerprint their visiting citizens. In turn, they're doing the same to us. The Brazilian judge who decided to fingerprint American citizens traveling to Brazil said this of our policies:

"I consider the act absolutely brutal, threatening human rights, violating human dignity, xenophobic and worthy of the worst horrors committed by the Nazis," said Sebastiao da Silva in the court order released on Tuesday.

Although I'd disagree about the Nazi part, even the most politically un-savy have to realize that pissing off the world isn't going to get us anywhere. In addition, our marketplace is Global - and America's economy is facing some fantastic competition. Our isolationist policies are causing us very real economic hardships.

History tells us that isolationism is a temporary fix. It's interesting to note that other countries have had troubles with terrorism and have not resorted to such radical xenophobic policies.

Is there another agenda at work? Is this part of a bigger, more sinister plot - to have other nations
view us with distrust?

(The link for the quoted story is story.news.yahoo.com.../nm/20040101/ts_nm/brazil_usa_immigration_dc)

If we were to become isolationist, as we did after WW1, the world would have a huge problem. We have funds going to just about every 3rd world country feeding them. We have security agencies in just about every country in the world. If we pulled out, and became isolationist, as I had mentioned in previous threads, the world would collapse, and eventually the US would be the ONLY country out there, with the exception of about 10% of Europe.

Might want to read this: (its a .pdf file also)

"The Myth of American Isolationism"
Link:
216.239.57.104...:pYoh_Ww8Pn0J:www.wcfia.harvard.edu/papers/579__MythOfUSIsol.pdf+Current+American+Isolationism&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

And this:

"The Myth of American Isolationism -- Reinterpreting the Past"
Link:
www.foreignaffairs.org...



As the case with Brazil, I merely see a clash of idealogical differences. The US is far from being "isolationist" or having such tendencies...if the case was so, many of us wouldn't be currently listening to the continued hemming and hawing of the US trying to be or become a "global police force", etc.



regards
seekerof

i dont think we are isolationists at all. we have 2 countries under occupation because of the war on terror, and the US buys everything from everyone.

It might be a real good idea to start looking out for us first though, instead of having an ally in isreal that does worse things to the muslims living there then the terrorists have ever done to us.