TheConnecticutYankeeintheCouttofKingArthur 173ina difficultcontradiction.Ontheonehand,asglobalhegemon,the
UnitedStatesis bydefinitiona statusquopower.But totheextent
thatweareexportingWilsonianvalues,wearea revisionistoneaswell.
ManyWilsonianswanttoredrawtheworld'smaps-tomakeTibetan
independentstate,forexample.
Wilsoniansalsowanttomakechangeswithininternationalbounda-
ries.Theywantdictatorialregimestoyieldpowertodemocraticoppo-
nents,peacefullyifpossible,throughviolentstruggleifthereis noother
way. Thanks toWilsonian strength inthe Americanforeign policy
process,Congressprovidessubstantialsumsofmoneyforpropaganda
andotheractivitiesaimedathasteningthehappyday ofdemocratic
transitions.
Bothofthesegoals-boundarychangesandregimechanges-pose
greatchallengesforothercountries.ItisnotalwaysclearhowtheUnited
Stateswillresolve thestrugglesbetweentheconservativeandradical
trendsinitsforeignpolicywithrespecttoanygivencountryorquestion.
Thisnaturallyunsettlesotherstates,bothpotentialtargetsofourrevolu-
tionarydiplomacyandothercountries thatwill inevitablyfindtheir
interestsaffectedbyAmericaninitiatives.Europeaninvestorsandtheir
governments worrythat theUnitedStateswill imposesanctions on
EuropeancompaniesthattradewithregimestheUnitedStatesseeksto
isolate;a countrylikeTurkeyorJordanmustworrywhentheUnited
StatesusesitspowerattheUnitedNationstoforceittocloseitsborders
withanimportanttradingpartner.
AllthisgivestheUnitedStatesgovernmentonepainfulheadache
afteranother.Wilsonianlobbiesdemandingstrongactionagainstcoun-
triesthatpersecutedissidents,permitthegenitalmutilationofwomen,
suppresstradeunions,huntwhales,eatdogs,oppressnationalminori-
ties,orotherwiseoffendthemoralsensitivitiesofsomeorganizedAmeri-
canconstituencycreateconstantdemandsforgovernmentaction.This
unforrunatelydecreasesthecomfortlevelofothercountrieswithAmeri-
canpowerandincreasestheirconcernthattoomuchAmeric"anpower
endangerstheirvitalinterests.
YetforsrudentsofAmericanforeignpolicythequestionofwhether
Wilsonianismisa goodora badthingisanidleone.Wilsonianism,with
allitsvirtuesanditsdefects,is a realthing.Itisdeeply,probablyineradi-
cably,rootedinAmericanculrureandhistory,andthosewhohopeto
shapethecountry'sforeignpolicymustcometotermswithitonewayor
another.