America seems to be back from isolationism - for now

MUCH of the political discourse in the West has been focused recently on the rise of nationalism, nativism and protectionism, a trend that explained the election of Donald Trump as US president and the UK vote in support of Brexit.

This nationalist wave has also produced isolationist sentiments among a growing number of Americans, who, in the aftermath of the costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, have been telling pollsters that they are less likely to support new US military interventions abroad.

That view was championed by former President Trump and some of his allies on the political right, who have advocated reassessing US military commitments, including its continuing leadership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato).