Gunboat globalization
"In a complex and challenging time, the road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting -- yet it ends in danger and decline. ... The demands of justice, and the peace of this world (depend on) American leadership." So declared President Bush in his State of the Union address last month. As I sat that night in the company of conservatives -- fans of the president, to be sure -- I offered something to the effect of, "Take that, Patrick Buchanan!" I was nearly booed out of the room. For those unfamiliar with this right-wing gadfly, Mr. Buchanan has seldom seen an American military intervention or free trade agreement he didn't deplore. But how popular, really, is the isolationist temptation in American politics?














