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Isolationism is a Foreign Policy which combines a Non-interventionist military policy and a political policy of Economic Nationalism ( Protectionism ). In other words, it asserts both of the following: # Non-interventionism - Political rulers should avoid Entangling Alliances with other nations and avoid all wars not related to direct territorial Self-defense . # Protectionism - There should be legal barriers to prevent trade and cultural exchange with people in other states. Not to be confused with the Non-interventionist philosophy and foreign policy of the Libertarian world view, which espouses unrestricted Free Trade and freedom of travel for individuals to all countries. INTRODUCTION "Isolationism" has always been a debated political topic. Whether or not a country should be or should not be isolationist affects both living standards and the ability of political rulers to benefit favored firms and industries. All the first world countries (the UK , United States , etc.) trade in a world economy. Some will argue that removing oneself from such an economy could be potentially helpful. The consensus amongst most economists is that such a policy is detrimental, and point to the Mercantilism of the pre-industrial era as the classic example. Countries and regions generally enjoy a Comparative Advantage over others in some area. Free trade between countries allows each country to do what it does best, and benefit from the products and services that others do best. Protectionism prevents this process, it is argued, making people poorer than they would be otherwise. On the other hand, non-interventionism generally benefits a country by reducing both military spending (as it is limited to defensive purposes) and the chances of provoking an attack (by not meddling in foreign intrigue.) ISOLATIONISM BY COUNTRY China After the Zheng He voyages in the 15th century, the foreign policy of the Ming Dynasty in China became increasingly isolationist. The Qing Dynasty that came after the Ming often continued the later Ming Dynasty's isolationist policies. Around the 1500's China began isolationism. One reason China decided on this was to keep out as much foreign influence on religious beliefs as possible, especially from European traders who came into China with Christian missionaries. The first missionary said to have an impact on Chinese religious beliefs was an Italian Jesuit called Matteo Ricci. Many of the educated Chinese opposed this Christianity introduced by missionaries, but Ricci's scientific knowledge gained him prestige in these circles, first introducing the concepts of trigonometry, and predicting an eclipse of the sun more accurately than Chinese astronomers of the day. Ireland See Also: Irish neutrality ''Irish neutrality'' has been a policy of the Irish Free State and its successor the Republic Of Ireland since Independence from the United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Ireland in 1922. This policy led to Ireland's neutral stance during World War II . Economically, the Navigation Acts restricted and taxed Irish trade, to the detriment of her economy, which was also affected badly by the Corn Laws . These were introduced to protect Britain against reliance on cheap imports of grain, and to safeguard the income and power of hereditary landowners rather than business interests. The Corn Laws were campaigned against by those who favoured a return to a more free trade practice. In the late 1840's, when British shipping had achieved a world monopoly, those protectionist acts and laws were repealed. Japan From 1641 to 1853, the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan enforced a policy which it called '' Sakoku ''. The policy prohibited foreign contact to any outside country. During this time, the culture of Japan developed in ways mostly free of influence from the outside world and had one of the longest stretches of peace in history; however, in the absence of modernization, Japan eventually fell prey to foreign powers, and the harsh regime of economic and military development that Japan subsequently imposed on itself worked to modernize and militarize Japanese society. New Zealand Under the Muldoon government a high level of protectionism was in place. This was markedly reduced under the fourth Labour government when it came into power in 1984. Paraguay Just after independence was achieved, the country fell to the Dictatorship of Dr. Francia in 1814, who closed the borders of the country and prohibited trade or any relation with the exterior until his death in 1840. United States Change over time See Also: United States non-interventionism , the United States population again turned to isolationism during the 1920s, opposing any action by the government that would drag the country into another Europe an war. This non-interventionist tendency led to the imposition of Tariff s. For the most part, American military isolationism came to an end during World War II , particularly following the Japan ese attack at Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 . However, the USA cannot be said to have upheld a complete isolationist policy during WWII prior to Pearl Harbor. Current Status After the attacks of September 11, 2001 , the United State's attitude towards interventionism changed. As the National Security Strategy states,
United State foreign policy began to not only focus on world powers, but also on policing smaller, poorer nations.''Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs'' "United States Participation in International Police (CIVPOL) Missions" (Washington DC: US Department of State, May 18, 2005) {Link without Title} . By definitions from Tom Barry, the United States is currently, at least militarily, an Imperium or "An informal empire, allowing some degree of autonomy to member states but requiring strong leadership backed by global policing and military power."Tom Barry. (November 6 2002) because policing by United States Military forces has been rather extensive. ''idem.'' [http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/fs/47759.htm . Thus, in the United States today, only "...elements of this traditional isolationism remain..."''idem.'' [http://www.irc-online.org/fpif/pdf/gac/0211power.pdf] Economic isolationism, on the other hand, continues in the United States with only one-third of Americans believing free trade does more good than bad to the United States economy according to a Pew Research Center survey.Scott Keeter and Richard Morin. "The Complicated Politics of Free Trade" (PewResearchCenter Publications, January 4 2007) Even though the United States currently has Trade restrictions, President George W. Bush said that: "America has moved beyond that tired, defeatist mind-set, and we're not going back." USINFO. "Bush Calls Economic Isolationism Recipe for Disaster" (Washington DC: US Department of State, 10 March 2004) [http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=March&x=20040310174626SAikceinawz0.932461 SEE ALSO WORKS CITED REFERENCES
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