More say U.S. focus should be home By Susan Page and David Jackson, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON - Americans, anxious about the costs of the Iraq war and the impact of a global economy, are increasingly wary of engagement in the world.
In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, nearly half of those surveyed said the United States "should mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along as best they can on their own." Three years ago, just one-third felt that way.
"There seems to be a turning inward across the American spectrum," says Charles Kupchan, a former State Department and National Security Council aide who now teaches at Georgetown University. He calls it "an inevitable consequence of Iraq."
The leave-us-alone mood is apparent not only in the proportion of Americans, 64%, who want all or some of the U.S. troops in Iraq to come home now.
It's also reflected in concern about illegal immigration - eight of 10 said it was "out of control" - and in the furious public reaction to reports last month that a Dubai-owned firm was poised to take over cargo operations at ports in six states. After the outcry, the deal was undone.
Attitudes have soured toward trade as well. Two-thirds said increased trade with other countries mostly hurts U.S. workers. By 50%-39%, respondents also said it mostly hurts American companies.
In 1999, majorities said it mostly hurt workers but helped companies.
In his State of the Union address in January and since, President Bush has warned against "isolationism."
"This is a defining moment, in my judgment, on these debates," he said Monday at Johns Hopkins University's school of international studies in Washington. "My position is clear: I'm absolutely for this United States of America staying engaged to the world."
Ivo Daalder of the Brookings Institution and other critics say that the president has tried unfairly to equate differences over Iraq with isolationism. "He's using the threat of isolationism as a stick," Daalder says.
A reluctant public can complicate policymaking. Skepticism about the benefits of global engagement can make it harder to command support for initiatives from free-trade pacts to peacekeeping missions.
Public opinion now is reminiscent of the Vietnam War. In 1964, during the buildup of U.S. forces, only 20% said the United States should "mind its own business." By 1972, with anti-war protests in full swing, the percentage had nearly doubled.
Desire to withdraw from the world surged when the Cold War ended but turned around after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. By December 2002, support for engagement in the world was the highest it had been since Vietnam. That changed again after the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
In the poll, taken Friday through Sunday:
* Democrats were twice as likely as Republicans to say the United States should "mind its own business."
* Those with annual household incomes of less than $30,000 were twice as likely to agree as those making $75,000 or more.
* Those younger than 30 were more likely than any other age group to say the nation should go it alone.
The interconnected economy, global terrorism and pandemics such as bird flu make it impossible for the United States to ignore the rest of the world, Daalder and other experts argue. Americans seem to acknowledge that, too: By 56%-38%, they said Bush should pay more attention, not less, to the views of other countries when making decisions.