There’s a growing isolationist movement in the United States that scoffs at any international involvement by claiming the price is too high when we have so many problems at home. But this view is short-sighted—and rooted in a kind of entitled complacency. It assumes the peace, prosperity, and influence we enjoy are inevitable, rather than the result of sustained American leadership on the global stage.
History offers a cautionary tale. The British Empire, once so vast the sun never set on it, began to decline the moment it turned inward. Today, the UK depends on us for military protection, faces higher borrowing costs, lacks leverage in global policy, and sees a higher cost of living for its citizens.
Is that the future we want for America?
