The myth of American isolationism

American diplomacy in the 1920s was subtle but ambitious and effective, instead of isolationist, argues Harvard Assistant Professor of Government Bear F. Braumoeller. American policy in the years leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor was in fact quite responsive to events on the European continent, Braumoeller says. Though isolationists did exist, they never came close to constituting a majority. In short, American isolationism is a myth.