I think the trend really began in the late 1970's.
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Over the Carter years, several things happened. First, the Panama Canal treaty. A number of people on the right saw this as a retreat. In 1979, the Shah fell (ironically, Carter had spent New Year Eve of 1977-8 with him on a major state visit). In July of 1979 the Cuban backed Sandinistas took Nicaragua. In November the hostage crisis started. In December, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Carter's response was virtually non-existent and consisted only diplomatic action (save for the rescue attempt in 1980).
I think that it is also something to consider that the US had just pulled out of Viatnam in 76' and there would have not been the public stomach for the kind of intervention that some of those event's would have called for. At that time America was experencing sever self doubt and this would have lead to restrante on the part of the carter administration.
I think also that Jimmy Carter didn't want to be another Johnson and lead America into another protracted war.
There is also the fact that it was America which had toppled the only democratic, but left wing, government Iran had ever known and installed the Shah, which wasn't going to endear the Iranians to America.
Rep: We don't need other countries to tell us what to do.
Dem: we are stupid and we need other countries to tell us how to live.
I think that you should remember that no other country likes being told what to do, which republican administrations seem to have a habbit of telling other countries what to do. and anyways working
with other nations is not the same as being told what to do.
Democrats are more inclined to work wil other nations, and doing that is not a sign of weakness it's pragmatic. you also have the added benifet of spreading the cost and burden when things need to be done.
