Isolationism

Is the US isolating itself from the rest of the world? There’s more to this story than Donald Trump and his ‘America First’ rhetoric. There appears to be a growing unease in the US about its engagement with the rest of the world. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have damaged the idea of America and its military might, while concerns over the economy have led to many – on both left and right – questioning the wisdom of free trade. Even if Hillary Clinton wins there is no guarantee that the US will want to engage as much with the rest of the world as it has over the past 70 years. Some may argue that that’s a good thing – but what will it mean if the US leaves the rest of us alone?

Monocle’s Steve Bloomfield is joined by two European former foreign secretaries: Poland’s Radek Sikorski and the UK’s Sir Malcolm Rifkind.