Foreign entanglement
Overseas political involvement
Foreign entanglement refers to involvement in the affairs of other nations that constrains a country's freedom of action—treaties, alliances, or commitments that pull a nation into conflicts not directly its own.
The phrase echoes early American foreign policy debates, particularly warnings against permanent alliances: The founders cautioned against foreign entanglements.
It often carries an isolationist or skeptical connotation, suggesting such involvement is unwise or avoidable.
- allianceFormal union of parties
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- balance of powerEqual distribution of influence
- diplomacyNegotiation between nations
- interventionPurposeful involvement to change course
regime change · boots on the ground · quagmire · mission creep · war · conflict · embargo · sanctions · sovereignty · sphere of influence · colonial · imperial · meddling · covert ops · intrigue · espionage · coup · proxy
Foreign entanglementisolationism
Policy avoiding foreign alliances
non-interventionism · neutrality · non-alignment · disengagement · detachment
Foreign entanglementno strings attached
Without obligations or conditions
foreign, foreigner, foreigners, foreignness, entanglement, entangle, entangled, entangling, entanglements