Isolationism Quote by Henry Kissinger
““The consensus that had sustained our postwar foreign policy had evaporated. The men and women who had sustained our international commitments and achievements were demoralized by what they considered their failure in Vietnam. Too many of our young were in rebellion against the successes of their fathers, attacking what they claimed to be the overextension of our commitments and mocking the values that had animated the achievements. A new isolationism was growing. Whereas in the 1920s we had withdrawn from the world because we thought we were too good for it, the insidious theme of the late 1960s was that we should withdraw from the world because we were too evil for it. Not””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Remarks on U.S. Foreign Policy, 1969
The post‑World‑War consensus on global engagement collapsed as Vietnam eroded confidence, spawning isolationist sentiment and generational rebellion against past achievements.
In simple terms: Vietnam shattered confidence, leading to isolationism and rebellion against past successes.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how policy failures can reshape national attitudes.
Themes
foreign policy
history
generational conflict
isolationism
political cynicism
Mood
cautious
reflective
critical
Type
historical
political
analytical
When to use this quote
- academic analysis
- political debate
- policy formulation
- public discourse
Key Concepts
realism
public opinion
political legitimacy
Questions to Reflect On
- How do policy failures alter public trust?
- What balances national responsibility with moral concerns?
A Different Perspective
Isolationism can overlook global interdependence and security needs.
![“The [Vietnam] war's gone on for three years. And we'd thought we'd ended it because we'd done exactly what we were told and what we told ourselves we'd had to do. We had a majority. We were against the war and this created a crisis for democracy and a crisis for the antiwar movement.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6f5/bill-ayers-1848_antiwar_the-vietnam-war-s-gone-on-for-three-year_2934124.jpg)
![“[ Vietnam War] brought the people together and made the '60s like they were. The youth were very unified against the status quo - against the old line and the new old line. It's the same exact thing today.” quote by Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ffa/neil-young-969_lines_vietnam-war-brought-the-people-together_1551428.jpg)
![“[Alex Haley] objective was to illustrate that the racial separatism of the N.O.I. was a kind of pathological or a kind of - it was the logical culmination of separatism and racial isolationism and exclusion.” quote by Manning Marable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/266/manning-marable-9023_alex_alex-haley-objective-was-to-illustrate-t_293482.jpg)
