Isolationism in general is a national foreign policy of detachment from other nations, as opposed to
interventionism[?]. Most often it refers to the foreign policy of the
United States of America from the formation of the
Monroe Doctrine to about
World War II. During this time, U.S. policymakers refrained from actively engaging in the affairs of other major powers, particularly those in
Europe, to the point that U.S. entry into both World Wars occurred long after each war began. However, because the United States had been actively interventionist in the affairs of its
Latin American neighbors during this period, the term "isolationist" is somewhat misleading.
Following World War II, American policymakers took an active interest in global foreign affairs, becoming heavily interventionist[?] in parts of the world outside of its traditional involvement in the Western Hemisphere.
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