"Ultimately what we may be seeing, and this is only heightened by being an election year, is a return to economic isolationism," he said.

Their response to innovation and challenge has been economic isolationism, rule-rigging, and graceful decay.

And they're going to cheer us up with higher taxes, more federal spending and economic isolationism.

"Clearly economic isolationism is not the way to go, as it would threaten opportunity and prosperity for Americans and billions of people all over the world."

A1 President Clinton warned against economic isolationism.

And he warned against any relapse into political or economic isolationism.

A week later, he returned to the theme and the phrase: "Angry talk and class warfare rhetoric and economic isolationism won't get anybody hired."

But Democrats are talking about economic isolationism, and that's not going to create any more jobs.

"Accepting these petitions would take us down the path of economic isolationism, and that is a path we will not take," he said.

But other analysts warned that economic isolationism may give Malaysia the excuse to put off necessary economic restructuring.