The cultural roots of isolationism and internationalism in American foreign policy Lane Crothers* Department of Politics and Government, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA This article examines the question: why have Americans supported both internationalist and isolationist foreign policies at various points in history? It argues that part of the answer to this question can be found in the structure and nature of American political culture. American political culture frames the terms in which the programmes and plans debated by political leaders ‘make sense’ to the ordinary people whose consent is fundamental to the making of a democratic foreign policy. The article offers an account of the central components of American political culture that are shown to frame four core cultural orientations towards foreign affairs: Liberal Internationalism, America-as-Model, Nativism and Triumphalism. Two dimensions, Liberal Internationalism and America-as- Model, are illustrated through a discussion of contemporary arguments in favour of and opposed to the 1848 MexicanÁAmerican War. The article then offers suggestions of how the four categories of American foreign policy orientations can be applied in cases beyond the MexicanÁAmerican conflict. Both isolationism and internationalism are shown to be core components of American political culture. They are, as a consequence, eternal features of American foreign policy. Keywords: isolationism; internationalism; American political culture; MexicanÁ American War Introduction This article examines the question: why have Americans supported both inter- nationalist and isolationist foreign policies at various points in history? Why do they agree to send their troops to war (or not), to allow their money to be used to subsidise foreign nations (or not), or to intervene as foreign peoples face immeasurable suffering (or not)? Part of the answer to this question can be found in the structure and nature of American political culture. American culture contains an array of values, ideals, rituals, norms, goals and expectations that ground democratic political debate. This cultural mix provides the working material with which numerous policy alternatives can be offered to the American people for consideration. In other words, American political culture frames the terms in which the programmes and plans debated by political leaders ‘make sense’ to the people whose consent is fundamental to the making of a democratic foreign policy. Internationalism may be favoured at any given moment, and indeed with the emergence of the United States as a global economic and military hegemon over the last 60 years, internationalism is the default position of American foreign policy today. However, there is no cultural reason why the United States need be *Email: alcroth@ilstu.edu Journal of Transatlantic Studies Vol. 9, No. 1, March 2011, 21Á34 ISSN 1479-4012 print/ISSN 1754-1018 online # 2011 Board of Transatlantic Studies DOI: 10.1080/14794012.2011.550774 http://www.informaworld.com