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

TheConnecticutYankeeintheCourtof KingArthur 139

preachinga realistgospelanddenouncingtheliberalwimperyofthe
Carterforeignpolicy,madetheinternationalsupportofhumanrightsa
cornerstoneofhisownadministration.EventhearchrealistKissinger
himselfnowtakesprideintheHelsinkiAccords,whichrealistsoncedis-
missedorcondemned.

TheMissionaryTradition
FromtheendoftheColdWartotheendoftheClintonadmini-
stration,WilsonianismbattledwithHamiltonianismtobethedominant
force inAmericanforeign policy.Muchofthecontemporaryfighting
overforeignpolicy-as,forexample,withrespecttoChina-reflectsa
conflictbetweentheHamiltonianquesttobuilda globalcommercial
orderandtheWilsonianviewthatthatordermustalsobebasedonprin-
ciplesofdemocraticgovernmentandtheprotectionofhumanrights.
And justas contemporaryHamiltonianpoliticsemerge from a long
historicaldevelopment,sotootheforces seekingtogivea Wilsonian
shapetoAmericanforeignpolicytodayhavedeep rootsinAmerican
history, andhavedevelopedtheirideas throughmany generationsof
experienceandreflection.
Whenmoststudentsofforeignpolicy,whetherAmericanorforeign,
thinkaboutAmericanidealisminaction,theythinkaboutactsofstate-
craftbypoliticians.TheythinkofWilsonatVersaillesorBillClinton
sendingmarinestoHaiti.ButjustasthestoryofAmericancommercial
relationswiththerestoftheworldisonlyinpart,andindeedinvery
smallpart,thestoryofgovernmentsinteractingwithothergovernments,
soa fortioriis thestoryofWilsonianisma storyofpopularaction.Wilso-
nianismrepresentstoa largedegreepartofa consistentandcenturies-old
foreignpolicyoftheAmericanpeople,somethingrelatedto,andboth
influencedbyandinfluencing,theforeignpolicyoftheAmericangov-
ernment,butstillsomethingtobeunderstoodonitsowntermsandin
itsownway.
ThestoryofAmericanmissionaryactivity-astorybynomeanscon-
finedtotheactionsofreligiousmissionariesofanyorevenofalldenomi-
nations,butencompassingtheworkofcountlessAmericansinreligious
work,medicalwork,reliefwork,andpoliticalactivismofvariouskinds
throughouttheworld-ispartofthe"losthistory"ofAmericanforeign
policy.IthasplayedamuchlargerroleintherelationshipoftheUnited