Why would an island nation face difficulty with isolationism

During the 1930s, the combination of the Great Depression and the memory of tragic losses in World War I contributed to pushing American public opinion and policy toward isolationism. Isolationists advocated non-involvement in European and Asian conflicts and non-entanglement in international politics.

Let us also remember that many of the problem island states are not just only in the Pacific, we have island states in the Indian Ocean, we have island states in the Caribbean, and the problems are very similar. So, many of the problems that we may talk about for the Pacific, apply equally to the rest of the planet, wherever these island states are. Many of the problems of island states are also the problems of landlocked, small developing countries. So, think of Gambia, in Africa, as an example. Many of the problems that we have in the Pacific are similar to those that are experienced by landlocked countries in Africa.