America First, Not America Only

By Luke Moon

Tuesday, February 04, 2025

 

The Philos Project and our advocacy organization Generation Zion recently traveled to TPUSA’s AmFest for an extraordinary few days. Over the course of the conference, I met countless people who are proud Americans, who deeply love this country and want it to thrive. I met so many bright and talented young minds who are willing to roll up their sleeves to secure a better tomorrow. There is a lot to be hopeful for when I look at the future of our country.

 

But in many of the conversations with our future leaders at AmFest, I could not help but notice a disturbing trend. Far too many people have moved beyond advocating for an America First worldview and instead are drifting into an America Only position. Too many people believe that America should do nothing but look inwards at itself, taking care of nothing beyond its immediate borders. This is a sad, but understandable, trend on the right. We must nip it in the bud before it gathers too much momentum to stop it. We need a clear, level-headed articulation about why America First cannot become America Only.

 

The rise of the America First agenda was a desperately needed course correction. After the Cold War, the United States began flexing its muscles on the world stage, helping arrange the current world order that we now inhabit. But that world order, which was initially designed to ensure the safety, stability, and prosperity of the West, has since grown beyond its initial intent. Instead, the rapid spread of globalism and the ruling of globalist elites have dominated the world stage. As the globalist institutions, such as the U.N., NATO, and the World Bank, grew beyond their initial mandate, the U.S. joined in on the growth. Instead of merely setting us up for success and prosperity, our own globalist elites began flexing American power all over the world in ways that did little good for us at home. People were rightly tired of it.

 

The statistics here are troubling. According to a recent report from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the majority of Millennials (59 percent) and Generation Z (65 percent) say the U.S. is no greater than other countries. Moreover, both Millennials and Gen Z are less likely to support both the use of U.S. troops in other parts of the world and long-term U.S. military bases abroad than older generations are. Nearly half of America’s youth believe that the U.S. should stay clear of world affairs. Our youth have a radically different worldview from that of preceding generations.

 

There are many reasons for this change in perspective about America’s role in the world. One is that America’s youth have not grown up under the prospect of peer conflict like those born into the Cold War did. Rather, they have grown up at a time where there has been relative peace and prosperity at home. This has minimized the belief in the need for a strong, outward facing role on the world stage. Yet things have not been entirely copacetic at home during this period. The vanishing of small-town America, the offshoring of American jobs, and the politicization of all aspects of daily living have bred resentment for our globalist elites who seem keen on sacrificing the average American on the altar of globalism.

 

Perhaps the most important factor contributing to the rise of America First and its embrace among our youth has been the “endless” wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. With a great cost in blood and money, Americans got a bad bargain with our foreign policy at the turn of the millennium. Most Americans cannot understand what it was all for. The same is true with our current foreign policy approach to Ukraine. The average American, especially our youth, cannot understand why the United States continues to send billions of taxpayer dollars to Ukraine to secure its border against Russia while the United States cannot secure her own border. A course correction was needed, and so the America First worldview was born.

 

At its core, America First demands that our government prioritize the well-being of its citizens above all else — a principle that should be self-evident. Moreover, it asks our leaders to justify and explain why the policies they pursue benefit us and why the ends justify the means. For too long, American leaders pursued policies that seemed to benefit everyone but the American people. From sacrificing blue-collar jobs to poorly negotiated trade deals, to hemorrhaging taxpayer money on projects abroad while neglecting infrastructure at home, the cost of globalism has fallen squarely on the shoulders of ordinary Americans. America First seeks to reverse this trend. It insists that our resources and energy serve our own interests first and foremost. This is common sense.

 

But we cannot let this mindset push us into a corner where we shut out the world entirely. America First cannot morph into America Only, because the reality is this: When America retreats, the void is filled by powers that don’t share our values or our interests. Turning inward may look good in the short term, but it only delays the inevitable.

 

Consider the lessons of history. After World War I, the United States largely turned its back on the rest of the world. We were content to focus on domestic growth while chaos brewed overseas. That retreat helped set the stage for the chaos of World War II. The same is true today. Whether we like it or not, the world has a way of knocking on our door — through economic turmoil, rising authoritarian regimes, or threats to our security.

 

That doesn’t mean we should return to the overreach of the past. Americans were tired of wars that cost us dearly and seemed to accomplish little. They were fed up with leaders who sent billions abroad while failing to address the issues facing our own communities. But the answer isn’t isolation; it’s smarter, limited engagement.

 

We don’t need to be the world’s police force. But there’s a world of difference between reckless interventionism and strategic leadership. Protecting America’s interests sometimes means being involved abroad — on our terms, with clear goals and tangible benefits to the people here at home.

 

Take our partnerships with nations like Israel, India, Japan, and South Korea. These alliances aren’t just about shared values; they’re about protecting American security and economic interests. A stable Middle East, where Israel thrives and Tehran suffers, means fewer shocks to the global energy market, which directly affects domestic gas prices, and a crucial check on Islamist terror, which harms Americans all over the world. A strong Indo-Pacific alliance counters the growing threat from a revisionist China, and ensures the safety of critical trade routes that keep American businesses running and shelves stocked.

 

And then there’s the border issue. The frustration people feel when they see billions sent to Ukraine while our own border is overrun is entirely justified. But the answer isn’t to cut ourselves off from the world. It’s to demand that our leaders prioritize American security, starting at home. A strong America on the world stage makes it harder for bad actors to exploit our weaknesses here.

 

In my conversations at AmFest, I saw so much passion and love for this country. It’s clear that the next generation of leaders wants what’s best for America. But we need to channel that energy wisely. America First is about putting our country’s interests at the forefront — not retreating into a shell while the world burns.

 

If we embrace America Only, we’ll wake up one day to find that the problems we ignored abroad have landed on our doorstep. But if we lead with purpose and focus, we can protect our homeland while shaping a world that works to our advantage. That’s the kind of leadership this moment demands.