The [Spanish-American] war was a turning point in the history of American foreign policy. From that time on Americans could no longer look merely inward. The United States had established undisputed dominance of the Caribbean and had extended its influence to the shores of Asia. It had become a recognized world power through its own inherent strength, and that strength affected the international politics of all the great powers of the world. Even if it wanted to, the United States in the new century could no longer remain aloof from the politics of the rest of the world Source: Alexander DeConde, A History of American Foreign Policy, 1963. According to Alexander DeConde, the Spanish American War was a turning point in American foreign policy history because