WASHINGTON: For half a century, a small but growing minority of Americans have viewed the world warily and thought — if not said — “Can we maybe just stay home?”
In recent years, signs seemed to mount of America’s isolationist tendencies. But in the wake of Sept 11, Americans’ support for engagement in the world is surging. Favourable views of US involvement in the world are hitting levels not seen since World War II.
This doesn’t mean Americans are eager to send troops to every country with an internal conflict or a terrorist in a cave. Reticence from the Vietnam era remains. But it does mean that many now believe the world’s only superpower should help to resolve problems like the Mideast conflict, and should use its power to do things like promote democracy and reduce poverty worldwide — not just as military might.
The attitude shift could lead to a change in how much the US spends abroad, and put pressure on the Bush administration — which shows signs of heeding the call — to be more interventionist beyond the war on terrorism.
Certainly, much of America’s new interest in looking outward can be attributed to support for the war on terrorism. Similar (though less impressive) blips in support for engagement occurred after the Gulf War, as well as after the Iranian hostage crisis in 1980.
But the percentages of Americans who support US involvement in the world and efforts to forge a better view of the US are also at new highs — in some cases even higher than President Bush’s ratings. People want a safer world — and they see making it a better place to live as one way to accomplish that.
“We’ve had this more or less sizable minority that has been attracted to the idea of shutting the world out, but this (Sept 11) experience has told them, ‘No, you can’t go home any more,’” says Steven Kull, director of the Programme on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland.
“Now the feeling is that, if you aren’t in the world, the world can still come and get you. So running away from it isn’t an answer,” he says. “That leaves people more supportive of internationalist action.”
In a recent poll, PIPA found 81 per cent of Americans prefer a US that takes an “active part” in world affairs, as opposed to 14 per cent favouring “staying out.” A comparison of results when similar questions have been asked in surveys since World War II shows the 81 per cent marks a new high.
The image of an average American as either unconcerned about the rest of the world or as satisfied with an Uncle Sam who carries a big stick is strong even within the US, but Kull says neither image is accurate. What Americans want, he says, is a US that doesn’t act on its own but works within multilateral contexts.
Some analysts conclude that the rise in support for international engagement reflects primarily the public’s desire for security and faith in the US military’s ability to deliver a safer world. —Dawn/The Christian Science Monitor News Service.