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

Il2 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

ReserveBankcooperatedcloselywiththecentralbanksofBritain,Ger-
many,andFrance.WhiletheUnitedStatesdeclinedtojointheLeague
ofNationsortheWorldCourt,andwhileHamiltonianpoliticiansrun-
ning foroffice declaimedthevirtuesofisolationism, Americanoffi-
cialsbecameintimatelyinvolvedintheintricaciesofEuropeanfinancial
reconstruction.TheendofWorldWarII wouldseeanevengreater
increaseinHamiltonianactivisminsearchofinternationalfinancialsta-
bility,and,withtheendoftheColdWar,thepreservationofanorderly
internationalsystemthatpromotedfreeflowsofcapitalwouldemergeas
a keystoneofAmericanforeignpolicy.

HamiltoniansandthePacific

TheAmericantradersandmerchantswhoweretheearliestsupporters
ofHamiltonianpoliciesandprinciplesinAmericanforeignpolicyhad
beeninterestedinthepossibilitiesofthePacificfromearlyinthecolo-
nialera.ArthurPowerDudden'sbookTheAmericanPacificrecountsa
storyofstronginterestinthepossibilitiesofthePacifictradeasearlyas
theWashingtonadministration;thistradewouldplay,andstillplays,a
majorroleinHamiltonianthinkingabouttheAmericannationalinter-
est.Asearlyastheseventeenthcentury,Bostonmerchantswereshowing
aninterestintheChinatrade,andanAmericancolonistsailedthePacific
withCaptainCook.
AfterindependenceitwasnotlongbeforeAmericansbegantoappear
inPacificports.ThefirstshiptoreachChinaunderanAmericanflag
sailedfromNewYorkonGeorgeWashington'sfifty-secondbirthday,
lessthana yearafterBritainrecognizedAmericanindependence. By
r800morethanahundredAmericanshipshadsailedfromGuangzhou,
andthepossibilitiesofthePacifictradewerelookingverybright."There
isnobetteradvicetobegiventothemerchantsoftheUnitedStates,"
wroteJohnAdamsin1785,"thantopushtheircommercetotheEast
Indiesasfarandasfastasitwillgo."4
ThetradedeficitwithChinaalsoappearedveryearly,asdidpolitical
strugglesintheUnitedStatesabouthowtodealwithit.TheChinese
notoriouslydidnotwanttobuyWesterngoods.Americanmerchants
triedtosolvethisinsomeofthethenusualways,includingthesaleof
opiumshippedfromSmyrna(nowIzmir)onthewestcoastofTurkey.As
earlyasther840s,theFarEasterntradeoftheUnitedStateswasraising