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

I04 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

doomedtoexistonthesamelowlevelastherelationsoftheEuropean
powerswithoneanother.AslongasContinentalEuropekeptitsnose
outofthebusinessoftheWesternHemisphere,theUnitedStatescould
lookforwardtorelationsthatwereatleastopentooutcomesthatsatis-
fiedbothsides.
ThegloomypsychologyofContinentaldiplomacyandtheinevitable
militarizationofitspolicyinpartproceededfrom,andinpartreinforced,
themilitaristicbiasoftheContinentalstates.TheAmericanstateand
diplomaticservicetookona differentcoloring.Asweshallsee,Jefferso-
niansandJacksonianswererevoltedbytheideaofanelitediplomatic
service;Hamiltonianshadnosuchobjectionsinprinciple,butthenature
andpurposesofthestateandtheforeign servicewouldbe different
ina commercialrepublicfromthoseofa stateina militarymonarchy.
ThusEuropeanstateswereheavilyinformedandpenetratedbyanethos
thatwas notonlyelitistandaristocraticbutfranklyandproudlymili-
tary.Theprinces,chancellors,ministers,andambassadorsofnineteenth-
centuryEurope,tosaynothingofitsgeneralsandofficers,werefrequently
descendedfromwarrioraristocracies.Untiltheeighteenthcenturyitwas
notuncommonforEurope'smonarchstocommandtheirtroopsinthe
field;aslateas1743,GeorgeIIofBritainappearedinpersontooppose
theFrenchattheBattleofDettingen.MilitaristicPrussia,inwhichthe
needsofthearmydrovetheevolutionofthestate,wasanextremeexam-
ple,butwitheverygreatContinentalpowerofearlymodernEuropethe
historyofthestatewastosomedegreethehistoryofitsarmedforces,and
thestatewas lessinvolvedincivilianaffairsandproportionatelymore
involvedinmilitarymattersthannow.OnceagainBritain,thoughfully
committedtothecultivationandprojectionofmilitaryforce, wasthe
leastmilitaristicofthegreatpowers,andonceagainHamiltonians,with-
outrepudiatingBritishandevenContinentalideasaboutthenatureof
humankindandthecompetitionofstates,cametoverydifferentpractical
conclusionsaboutwhatneededtobedone.
IntheHamiltonianview,theAmericanstateneededtohavea com-
petentmilitary,butthestateitselfwas civilian.Americandiplomats
generallyspentmoretimedealingwithtrade,andfarlesstimedeal-
ingwithmilitarymattersorothermattersofstate,thantheirforeign
colleaguesdid. Hamiltonianopinion, ingeneral,thoughtthis wasa
blessing.
Aconsciousnessthatgeographypromiseda gloriousdestinyforthe
UnitedStateswasanotherfactorthatmadeHamiltoniandiplomacysun-