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

TheSerpentandtheDove 101

heartiswickedaboveallthings.Theydidnotexpecta spiritofgenerosity
andfairplaytoguidethecouncilsofforeigncountriesanymorethanthey
expectedtheAmericanpoliticalprocess tobea series ofenlightened
debatesamongdispassionatephilosopher-kings.Inforeignpolicyasin
domestic,theHamiltonianslookedtointerestastheguidetoconduct.
Yet,whentheHamiltonianscameto considertheforeign policy
interestsoftheUnitedStates,theycameupwitha radicallydifferentlist
ofintereststhanthosedrawnupinmostofthechancelleriesofEurope.
Europeanpowersweresurroundedbyjealousandpowerfulrivals,and
theirrelationsalternatedbetweenwarandarmedtruce.Europeanstates
wereforcedtounderstandtheirinterestsprimarilyinmilitaryterms.
GreatBritain,ontheotherhand,thecountrywhosesituationmost
resembledthatoftheUnitedStates,wasanislandnationina relatively
isolatedcornerofEurope.Aswehaveseen,Britainhadonlyonethingto
fearfromtheContinent:thata singlepowerwouldcometodominatethe
restandthenharnessthecombinedeconomicforcesofEuropetobuild
a navythatcouldinvadeBritainandaneconomicsystemthatcould
ruinit.
Asa resulttheBritishdevelopeda strategicdoctrinethatwasdiffer-
entfromtheviewsofitsContinentalneighbors.Britishsecuritycouldbe
safeguardedbyspecializingintheconstructionofaninvinciblenavyand
bydefendingthebalanceofpowerinContinentalEurope,whileBritish
prosperitycouldbeenhancedbydevelopinga globaltradingsystem.The
financialresourcescreatedbyitstradeenabledBritaintosubsidizeits
temporaryContinentalalliesandtokeepitsarmedforces,especiallythe
navy,uptostrength.
GreatBritainwasa "normal"Europeancountry,butitwasonewitha
singularlyfavorablegeopoliticalposition-apositionitsdiplomatsand
traderssoughttoexploittothefullest.TheBritishstatewasalsodiffer-
entfromtheContinentalstates.BytheeighteenthcenturytheBritish
royalfamilyanditsattendantaristocracywerequitedifferentfromtheir
counterpartsinContinentalEurope.WilliamIII,MaryII,Anne,and,
evenmore,theupstartHanoveriansheldtheirthronesbyparliamentary
decreeandlackedtheprestigeandso-calleddivinerightoftheHaps-
burgsortheBourbons;theoldBritisharistocracyhadbeenlargelykilled
offintheWarsoftheRosesandtheCivilWar,andthenewaristocracy
was primarilya commercialratherthana militarycaste, continually
refreshedbythescionsofnewfortunesallying themselveswitholder
bloodlines.TheBritishstatewasmoreintimatelyandmoreextensively