Isolationism Makes a Perilous Moment More So

null By Paul A. GigotNov. 10, 2023 5:54 pm ETReview and Outlook: In the third Republican presidential debate on Nov. 8, 2023, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Tim Scott and Vivek Ramaswamy revealed the emerging GOP fault line on foreign policy. Images: Getty Images/Reuters Composite: Mark KellyI recently looked back at what my predecessor and mentor, Robert Bartley, said in 2002 upon his retirement. He surveyed his 30 years as Journal editor and the progress that had been made. America had won the Cold War, vanquished the stagflation of the 1970s, and quieted the social convulsions of the 1960s and ’70s. “What I think I’ve learned over 30 years,” Bob wrote, “is that in this society, rationality wins out, progress happens, and problems have solutions. This, I like to think, is what happens when a society incorporates the editorial credo of my newspaper, free markets and free people. In that kind of a society, optimism pays.” He had cause to claim vindication.Copyright ©2023