CMV: The United States should abandon all foreign commitments and return to isolationism.

Let me start by saying that I absolutely believe this will never happen. “America” and “hegemony” have practically gone hand-in-hand since the end of WW2. I firmly believe the United States will remain an interventionist empire until the day it inevitably collapses on itself. However, just because I believe something won’t happen doesn’t mean I can’t believe something should happen.

For starters, nobody asked us to be the “world police,” and a good many people wish we weren’t. As of February 2025, the global approval rating of the United States sits at 59% having an unfavorable opinion. Some of the countries who most dislike the US are our supposed allies. In the latest poll I could find, 57% of Germans, 52% of Dutch, 48% of French, 40% of Britons, and a whopping 73% of Turks view the United States unfavorably. The United States is spending trillions and jeopardizing lives in the defense of countries that a) hate us, b) never asked us to defend them.

Second, I believe America’s internal issues are far more pressing than any external threat. China would likely defeat the US in Asia, but would be absolutely annihilated if it tried to attack the US mainland. Russia could possibly withstand the US in a defensive war, but would be hammered if they tried to go on the offensive. There are no external threats to the United States short of nukes. And before somebody brings up Islamic terrorism, I will simply remind you that the US became enemy number one in the eyes of the Arab world due to their imperialist policies.

Finally, returning to isolation would allow the United States to focus some desperately needed attention on internal issues. At home, the US suffers from a collapsing industrial base, rotting infrastructure, and has vast deposits of natural resources it has refused to develop because it’s cheaper to import from other countries. America’s reliance on foreign materials is entirely self-imposed. If we were to abandon our foreign commitments and turn our attention inward, I see no reason to believe that couldn’t change.

All empires fall, but the way I see it, the United States has the option to fall gracefully and land on a pillow, in the unlikely event it chooses to do so.

Change my view.