This long-term continuity in U.S. foreign policy goes back beyond the period of containment. It stretches back to the very beginnings of the United States. In this chapter we examine the foundations of the American national style of foreign policy. First, we look at the tendency for U.S. foreign policy to fluctuate between isolationism and internationalism. Second, we examine the patterns of thought and action that provide the building blocks for both these general foreign policy orientations Finally, we look to the post-cold war era.