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

146 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

andHillaryClinton.Inthosedaysanaggressivelyproselytizingandself-
confidentProtestantismwasthehomeandnaturalallyofthefeminist,
prohibitionist,peace,andantitobaccomovements.Someglimpseofthat
earliereracanstillbeseeninthewaythatright-andleft-winggroups
attacksuchcountriesasChinafora poorhumanrightsrecord,andforthe
waythewarsonsmokinganddrugsbringdiversecommunitiestogether
ina coalitionnotaltogetherdissimilarfromthelargesocialmovement
forProhibition.
Theveryconceptofa globalcivilsocietycomestousoutofthemis-
sionarymovement;apartfroma handfulofisolatedintellectuals,noone
beforethemissionarieseverthoughtthattheworld'sculturesandsoci-
etieshadorcouldhaveenoughincommontomakea commonglobal
societyfeasibleordesirable.Certainlybeforethemissionariesnolarge
groupofpeoplesetouttobuildjustsucha world.Theconceptthat
"backward" countries could and should develop into Western-style
industrial democracies grew up among missionaries, andmissionary
reliefanddevelopmentorganizationslikeWorldVisionandCatholic
ReliefServicesremainattheforefrontofdevelopmentefforts.Theidea
thatgovernmentsintheWesternworldhada positivedutytosupport
thedevelopmentofpoorcountriesthroughfinancialaidandotherforms
ofassistancesimilarlycomesoutofthemissionaryworld.Mostcontem-
poraryinternationalorganizationsthatproviderelieffromnaturaldisas-
ters,shelterrefugees,trainmedicalpractitionersforpoorcountries,or
performotherimportantservicesonaninternationalbasiscantracetheir
origineithertomissionaryorganizationsortothemissionarymilieu.
Themissionarymovementindeeddeservesfarmorecreditforpro-
motingtheideaofa globalhumancommunitythanitoftenreceives.At
a timewhenadvancedopinioninthewesternworldwasincreasinglysus-
ceptibletotheoriesofeugenics,"scientificracism"andsocialDarwinism,
missionaries,sometimesactingonthebasisofa literalreadingofGene-
sis,stoutlymaintainedthathumanbeingsofallracesandnationswere
descendedfromcommonancestors,shareda commonanduniversalheri-
tage,andwereallpossessedofequalandinalienablerights.
Inanycasewecanseethatinthesecularaswellasinthereligious
branchesofthemissionarymovementtherehasbeena concerted,two-
centuries-oldattemptbyanimportantsegmentoftheAmericanpeople
totransformtheworldandtobringabouta social,economic,medical,
andreligiousrevolution.Thisgrouphasbelievedthatitistheresponsi-
bilityoftheirgovernmenttosupportthiseffort,andwhiletheyhave