Special Providence_ American Foreign Policy and How It Changed World - Walter Russell Mead

96 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

thisapproachtoAmericanforeignpolicydoesatleastexplainwhya
democraticrepublicwitha notoriouslyerraticandundisciplinedforeign
policyprocesshasneverthelessfounditsway,throughmanygenerations
andinmanyvarietiesofcircumstance,toforeignpoliciesthathavecon-
sistentlyadvancedthecountrytowardgreaterpowerandwealththanany
otherpowerinthehistoryoftheworld.Perhapsitcanhelpusthinkcon-
structivelyabout thechallengestocomeinatimelikelytobemore
dangerousandcomplicatedthananythinginthemillenniumthatpre-
cededit.

l

amnotquiteoutoftheconfessionalmode.There isonemore
admissionto make: I amnotproposingthis paradigmsimply
becauseitlookslikea viableintellecrualsolutiontosomeotherwisevex-
ingquestions abouthowAmericanforeignpolicy works.There is a
motivetomymythos,andlikethosewhodevelopedandpublicizedthe
mythofvirtuousisolationandthemythoftheColdWar,I havea politi-
calputposefortheparadigmI propose.
Recoveringa senseoftheconnectionofcontemporaryAmericanfor-
eignpolicywiththeachievementsandtraditionsofOutpredecessorsis
notjustamatterofintellectualgoodhousekeeping.Infusingoutpublic
debatesonforeignpolicy witha greaterawareness ofthe long-term
natureofOutnationalinterestsandourwaysofconceptualizingandreal-
izingthoseinterestswillmakelifeeasierandbetterforAmericanciti-
zensingeneral,andalsoforthatgroupofAmericancitizenscalledto
publicserviceinthefieldofforeignaffairs.
Inparticularitisimportanttolinktheforeignpolicydebatesofthe
passingdaytothegreatprinciplesthathaveshapedournationallife
fromthebeginning.ThetraditionalismoftheAmericanpeople,theway
Americansveneratethecorefoundingdocuments,FoundingFathers,
andfoundingprinciplesofthestate,is oneofthemostpowerfulforcesin
theUnitedStates.Thepowerofthesetraditionsparadoxicallygrowsas
thedifferenceintimesandcircumstancesbetweentheoriginalthirteen
coloniesandthecurrentimperialRepublicincreases.
Thisrespectfornationaltraditionisoneofourstrongestandmost
valuablenationaltraits.Itisbasedontwodifferentelements:anadmira-
tion for the foundingprinciples based onthe degree to whichthe
enlightenedideasoftheRevolutionaryerastillcommendthemselvesto
theAmericanmind,anda soberhistoricalrecognitionthatundertheir